Pragmatically dreaming about tomorrow
N and I have a plan. I like plans. In a world that is constantly changing, plans make me feel like I have a modicum of control. We bought our house about 6 months ago and we are pleased. It's big, with lots of sunlight and a deck that runs along the back of the family room. We renovated our en suite to our specific tastes and we put in custom book shelves for me. There is lots of room for personal space and yet it's cozy and warm. In the winter you can see from the living room, straight through to the dinning room window and observe the snow shimmer on the trees and it feels like you're in a forest. However, our house will be impractical at a certain point and it won't sustain our dream to travel extensively. Big houses mean lots of overhead, maintenance and ultimately wasted space.
We are going to buy an income property. I say this with the utmost certainty but we all know life is long and change is the constant. This is our current plan. We look at them all the time online. We're not ready to start touring homes but that will be the next step. This is still a ways down the road but I scout them out online and we go through them, developing a feel for what we think will work. We want a three unit home, closer to downtown Toronto. I like having access to coffee shops, restaurants, transit and stores. We would like to only have one car. Should we decide to leave for portions of the year we will lease our unit. We are both detail oriented and patient people. We will flesh out our plan and gradually figure out how to make it perfect for us. Half the fun is in the planning.
If you've been reading my blog up to this point you know I am somewhat disenchanted with the grind. I don't mind my day to day for the most part but I often feel restless and dissatisfied. My bucket list includes extensive traveling and N is on board. Since we hooked up we've traveled a fair bit. We've been to Cuba twice, Boston, New Orleans, BC and Jamaica. We have a couple trips coming down the pipe including our wedding in the DR and we've been researching Thailand/Cambodia for our honeymoon. Clearly we both have an interest in traveling, it's almost an addiction. I am well aware of how precarious this life is and I don't want to miss one minute. I think we both figured out that we are bohemians at heart. We loved having children but it's the love for our children that keeps us on the straight and narrow. Not the love of conventionality.
N and I struggle with this decision a lot. We both made choices in our lives that have been incredibly astute and allowed us options. They weren't always easy choices and involved a lot of personal sacrifice but as I mentioned we are both patient people. Patience allows for persistence, which is half the battle to success. A part of us would love to sell our present home and just invest the money with the intent of being true gypsies. The more I read and the longer I live the more I understand that possessions tend to own us, not the other way around. I think there is far more value in experiences than things and we are carefully considering every aspect of our plan. We both love Toronto because it's home and we have cultivated roots here. We want to to explore the big world but we also want to maintain our ties to our community and children. As much as I love an adventure, I love my children a lot more. I don't plan to visit my grandchildren (should I be fortunate to have any) once a year. Toronto will always be home.
If any one has any advice or tips on how to manage an income property please feel free to leave a comment. As I mentioned, this is a long term plan. I am always up for an adventure but I prefer calculated risks. For now we are very happy in our big, cozy house. We're managing to have some adventures while I keep plugging away at the 9-5. Then I come home and we sit on our deck, watch the trees shimmer as the sun sets and dream about tomorrow.
N and I have a plan. I like plans. In a world that is constantly changing, plans make me feel like I have a modicum of control. We bought our house about 6 months ago and we are pleased. It's big, with lots of sunlight and a deck that runs along the back of the family room. We renovated our en suite to our specific tastes and we put in custom book shelves for me. There is lots of room for personal space and yet it's cozy and warm. In the winter you can see from the living room, straight through to the dinning room window and observe the snow shimmer on the trees and it feels like you're in a forest. However, our house will be impractical at a certain point and it won't sustain our dream to travel extensively. Big houses mean lots of overhead, maintenance and ultimately wasted space.
We are going to buy an income property. I say this with the utmost certainty but we all know life is long and change is the constant. This is our current plan. We look at them all the time online. We're not ready to start touring homes but that will be the next step. This is still a ways down the road but I scout them out online and we go through them, developing a feel for what we think will work. We want a three unit home, closer to downtown Toronto. I like having access to coffee shops, restaurants, transit and stores. We would like to only have one car. Should we decide to leave for portions of the year we will lease our unit. We are both detail oriented and patient people. We will flesh out our plan and gradually figure out how to make it perfect for us. Half the fun is in the planning.
If you've been reading my blog up to this point you know I am somewhat disenchanted with the grind. I don't mind my day to day for the most part but I often feel restless and dissatisfied. My bucket list includes extensive traveling and N is on board. Since we hooked up we've traveled a fair bit. We've been to Cuba twice, Boston, New Orleans, BC and Jamaica. We have a couple trips coming down the pipe including our wedding in the DR and we've been researching Thailand/Cambodia for our honeymoon. Clearly we both have an interest in traveling, it's almost an addiction. I am well aware of how precarious this life is and I don't want to miss one minute. I think we both figured out that we are bohemians at heart. We loved having children but it's the love for our children that keeps us on the straight and narrow. Not the love of conventionality.
N and I struggle with this decision a lot. We both made choices in our lives that have been incredibly astute and allowed us options. They weren't always easy choices and involved a lot of personal sacrifice but as I mentioned we are both patient people. Patience allows for persistence, which is half the battle to success. A part of us would love to sell our present home and just invest the money with the intent of being true gypsies. The more I read and the longer I live the more I understand that possessions tend to own us, not the other way around. I think there is far more value in experiences than things and we are carefully considering every aspect of our plan. We both love Toronto because it's home and we have cultivated roots here. We want to to explore the big world but we also want to maintain our ties to our community and children. As much as I love an adventure, I love my children a lot more. I don't plan to visit my grandchildren (should I be fortunate to have any) once a year. Toronto will always be home.
If any one has any advice or tips on how to manage an income property please feel free to leave a comment. As I mentioned, this is a long term plan. I am always up for an adventure but I prefer calculated risks. For now we are very happy in our big, cozy house. We're managing to have some adventures while I keep plugging away at the 9-5. Then I come home and we sit on our deck, watch the trees shimmer as the sun sets and dream about tomorrow.
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