Looking for a home or living space

We all know that the world is changing economically, and we have all played our parts…I am a Realtor, I’ve played and now I am paying. Our economy is global now and when there is distress, everyone feels it. In Europe, much of what I am writing about is mandated or just second nature! There is really no place to assign blame at this point. For other countries, budgeting is required. As an American generation Xer, I am a consumer. I have been targeted by marketing stronger than any other generation in the past and have not had to live through very hard times. My grandparents were young in the depression and are now gone. I have wished over and over while writing this book that they were alive now so I could hear their wisdom on managing and keeping happy homes while times are economically tough. Thank goodness for the memories of my Mother, Aunts and girlfriends who may have paid attention to the stories of the depression or who lived through the gas shortage in the 70’s. Now I am not implying that we’re heading for a depression. But I do believe that in the science of Positive Psychology and in those books from a long time ago that we laugh at now, there is something very important to learn. That we need to make our environment comfortable and good running order and that we need to live within our means, even when times are great economically. In the book The Happiness Hypothesis, Jonathan Haidt suggests that we are, in fact, happier when money is spent on activities than on possessions. I believe this to be true. The wholesomeness of family and friend time has been clouded by posturing and keeping up with the Joneses. A sad state of affairs but we can mend this easily by focusing on our inner or more primal needs.

There is something that I often do in Real Estate that was in something I once read. While people start the house hunt, I suggest that they focus on what they want in a house…not cosmetically but broader. Do they need lots of light or do they work and thrive more in the evening and maybe want more seclusion and darkness during the day? Do they entertain and need a larger dining or family room area or do they mostly go out and need more work or project room? Does life seem to center around the kitchen or outdoors? What activities make them happy? All of these things are usually not looked at when first considering a home, but should be the primary focus. Not what we see in magazines or books. Not what’s in fashion, which can always be changed. I had some wonderful advice from my dear friends, Bob and Pat, who live on the lake that I grew up on. Their advice is to look for a home that you rent for a vacation. Mind you, this is a couple who chose not to have children so their need was for the harmony of a couple, not a family. For others, the need to be in a community with lots of children is important to them. We need to look at this first and foremost in homemaking. Now, I am not suggesting that you run out and sell the home you’re in because you think you may e happier elsewhere more. This is not about the grass being greener elsewhere. Chances are good you instinctively found the place you are currently living for some of these reasons. Now you have to examine how space is being used.