For the first five years of our marriage, my husband and I rented a very nice apartment.
We enjoyed every amenity.
The building was equipped with a huge swimming pool, hot tub, barbecue area, fitness center and game room. Within the apartment we had state-of-the-art appliances, including stainless steel refrigerator, stove, microwave, washer and dryer. We had two full bathrooms with double sinks, a balcony with a view of the swimming pool and granite counter tops. The heating and cooling system was wonderfully quiet and energy efficient. There were smart thermostats installed in each room to cater to preferences. From an app on our phones, we could easily make changes to temperature from anywhere at any time. When we started looking to buy a house, we wanted all of these same luxuries. We planned to purchase a home with a swimming pool, zoned heating and cooling and the most modern appliances. Unfortunately, houses of that caliber weren’t in our price range. In order to get the amount of land and square footage we wanted, we needed to downgrade our expectations quite a bit. We ended up buying a fixer-upper with an ancient furnace, no air conditioning and no swimming pool. My husband and I have made a list of home improvement projects. Most of them are quite expensive, so it’s going to take us years to complete them all. At the top of the list is air conditioning with a smart thermostat. We’re hoping that if we spend a bit extra on a high-efficiency cooling system, it will keep monthly costs to a minimum and make the investment more affordable.