Making the Most of a “Bad-House” Situation
We’ve all seen pictures of homes we’d like to live in. With open, flowing layouts, high ceilings and cozy window benches, it’s easy to spend a day lost in an interior design magazine. But then reality hits, and we realize we might be in a bit of a tougher situation than we thought.
I’ll use myself as an example. I’ll be moving into a new home in about 2 weeks. It’s still a rental, but it’s in such awful shape that the landlords have agreed to let us pay $300 a month (for what could easily by $1,000 a month) if we agree to do some of the work to fix it up. Considering my current rent is $725, I’ll live anywhere for a chance to put some money in savings. This place though?
Here, I’ll just describe the master bedroom and bathroom. There is spray painted graffiti all throughout the bedroom and threatening messages written on the bedroom door. There are holes in the walls, what appears to be claw marks on the floor and a single, partially working fluorescent light that flickers and buzzes like something out of a zombie/horror movie. It’s attached to a bathroom with a shower but nothing to hold the water in. Oh and did I mention it’s painted bright pink with the phrase “Daddy loves you” scrawled maniacally on every wall in black spray paint? Yeah…it’s a charmer.
So if you find yourself in a similar situation, how do you cope with the fact that you’ll soon be living in used up drug house? By repeating these three phrases:
1.) It’s got potential. If there were unchangeable issues with the house (it was used as a meth lab, the foundation is damaged, or the
entire electrical system is unsafe), there would be problems. But when the bones are solid and it’s just the aesthetic issues that are troublesome, there a light at the end of the tunnel.
2.) It’s temporary. In this case, and even if we had bought the house, we don’t have to live in this condition forever. Either we fix it to where we like it or move. And if we owned the house, fix it to where we like it or fix it enough to sell it for more than we paid.
3.) One step at a time. Any task can be daunting when you look at it as completing it all at once. So instead, try to look at it as a list of smaller things to do. Focus on painting one day and then focus on replacing the broken door the next. Gradually, all those small little touches add up, and before you know it, you’ve got a very livable place that means even more to you since you did the work!
