This past decade, I became a property owner. After much research, budgeting and financial forecasting, I found an affordable place that was a blank canvas for the life I wanted to breathe into it. Besides equity, that was the most appealing aspect of home ownership; my home is an extension of the design work I do and its transformation from being a floor-to-ceiling throwback of the mid-80s dusty rose trend to “neo-gothic New York” (think noir with exposed brick) is truly something I am proud of.
I’d be lying though if I said I didn’t use to constantly monitor housing prices to see if I was taking a hit (or making a gain). I had no intention of actually selling … but instead sought the comfort that I hadn’t made the biggest financial mistake of my life. A mortgage is a huge burden to carry and at the end of the day, we all want to get ahead. Over time I realized though that money and the security it affords was only a part of what I needed in life.
The day I moved in, my new neighbour, an elderly woman who strongly resembles the Queen Mum, opened her door to peek out at the commotion in the hallway. With a smile and an impromptu hug, I was touched by how welcoming and kind she was. Her eyes were the bluest blue I’d ever seen and I felt a sense of warmth in her presence. In addition, she took an immediate attachment to my dog, Monty, which was a blessing as even though I reside in a pet-friendly building, there are a lot of people who don’t like pets (and will openly tell you so). Over the years, my neighbour and I have become incredibly close to the point where I consider her my adoptive grandmother. She is my family, if not by blood then by love.
I’ve also made other deep connections, including a close friend that I’ve taken on trips from Chicago to Dubai. And then there’s the person who moved in with me, someone who appreciates my eclectic taste in art and sought to make it even more unique - I now have an indoor garden with its own custom-crafted waterfall! This is priceless to me.
The friendships I’ve made and the experiences I’ve shared with my neighbours have so greatly enriched my life that no amount of money lost in a constantly fluctuating market could ever detract from what I’ve gained. These memories from 2010-2020 have firmly established my house as home.
My indoor garden, a work in progress (©Deborah Clague, 2019).