I finally heard my neighbor's comment about 'just renting' wrong

Last Saturday I was out mowing the lawn when my neighbor across the street said to his buddy 'I just rent, so I don't worry about it.' It hit me hard because I've been stressing over every little thing around my house for 3 years now. The gutters, the fence, a cracked window seal - I keep a list of 12 items that I'm failing to fix. Meanwhile he's got a rental with no maintenance worries and probably pays less than my mortgage. Has anyone else had that moment where you realize you picked the wrong battlefield to fight on?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_sandra6d ago

Picked up exactly what you're laying down. Started keeping a "rental envy" list in my head after watching my neighbor call the landlord over a broken garbage disposal while I was out back replacing a faulty water heater valve that took me three YouTube videos and a trip to Home Depot. The freedom of not having the weight of every single crack in the drywall or loose shingle sitting on your shoulders sounds like a different kind of life, honestly. Sometimes I catch myself adding up what I've spent on repairs and property tax and wonder if I'm just building equity for the next owners to enjoy for free.

nora1846d ago

Had a buddy who bought a fixer upper and spent two years gutting it. His neighbor rents and just calls someone when a lightbulb burns out. He texted me last week saying he's pretty sure he built that guy a deck for free while his own place still has no floor in the spare bedroom.