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The thing about buying a home, is so often we get caught up in the process
We get scared about how it's going to happen, or what it's going to cost, and block it from working.
I find the hardest challenge Buyers face is their inability to see beyond the space. In a world full of Pinterest-worthy houses on the 'gram, and Joanna-Gaines influenced spaces, we have forgotten the joy of morphing our own spaces.
To date - Ryan and I have never purchased a show-ready home for ourselves. Our current home that we live in had stated on the listing; "Please don't view the basement"
This is correct.
They wanted us to skip viewing half the house!
It was in such rough shape that they didn't even want us to look at it.
But you want to know the beauty of that basement being in disrepair?
It meant that we could afford it!
Had this home been meticulously maintained, and renovated, it would have blown our budget, and also been more appealing to other Buyers.
So I walked through that basement with gratitude and vision.
And honestly, our budget didn't mean gutting and renovating our basement immediately.
But it did mean that two years later, we could hire my cousin to remove the paneling and add in drywall.
And a year after that, I could hire my client's company to come install some plush carpet.
It wasn't immediate.
It wasn't a huge transition before and after situation, but a slow improvement for us, making it more and more our own.
You don't have to do all the things, all at once.
Take your time and be open to the possibility of your home not needing to be perfect.
Yes we all want perfection, and to feel proud of our spaces, but we also want to live our lives,
chase our kids, and be as present as possible.
The basement now serves as a toy room for our kids, and it's a space I choose not to clean.
I let them morph it into tents, and forts and be as chaotic as they want.
When it gets overwhelming, I throw on some tunes, and they go through it together, as brothers to reorganize it.
I made a promise years ago, to not be anything but authentic on here, so this is why I am sharing all of this with you.
One of the biggest parts of my healing journey is letting go of this idea of perfection in my home.
Allowing my family to just live, without me chasing them all over the place. It may just be the basement I have let go of the control of, but how ironic that it ended up being my kid's favourite spot?
Let go - and just live your life.
Don't miss it.
Our kids don't need perfection, they just need us.