The House I Almost Bought

I came very close to making a terrible financial blunder last week.

I wanted to make it with all my heart.

I came very close to buying a house in Greencastle, Indiana.

This is the house:

This is the description of the house:


Affordable and well-cared-for Craftsman two-story home only a block from campus. Home features 3 bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, office/bonus room, large living room, formal dining room & full basement w/built-in garage. Lovely craftsman details seen in the wood trim, doors, windows, staircase and hardwood floors throughout the home. Many newer updates include wiring, roof, & A/C. Appliances included. Spacious backyard for outdoor play & gardening. A great value for the condition & campus location. 

And this is the price of the house: $99,000!!!!!!

I yearn for this house with every fiber of my being. It's the perfect size for me: around 1500 square feet. It's well maintained (currently owned by a colleague). It's adorable. If I lived here I would be happy every minute of every day.

I even called a realtor. I had a sweet, wonderful renter lined up for next year, who agreed to let me keep one tiny room for my own.

But then I remembered: I already have a house, a lovely little condo in Boulder, Colorado. I already have a mortgage on that house. I have a beloved family who live in that house. I have many dear friends nearby that house, and two writing groups, and a church that is another home to me. Plus, after I leave DePauw in June, I have NO JOB and no income except what I can earn with my pen, which is not enough to own and operate TWO houses, one of which would need to be fully furnished, as well.

So I'm not going to buy the house. I had buyer's remorse even before becoming a buyer. But now I have non-buyer's remorse, which is just as keen. 

If only there were two of me, one to live in Boulder and one to live in Greencastle. But there's only one of me. One me, with two hearts.