Each morning, I’m awaken by the sound of a lowered, grey 2001 BMW 325 starting up around 6AM. I suspect the owner is proud of their investment. It’s was once a respectable car – but this one is illegally modified. It has an exhaust system designed to draw attention via a droning hum that penetrates even a 2×6 built home with double paned windows and solid R29 insulation. The sound of that 6 cylinder BMW motor is clear as day, actually.
Here, they can be found on every block. Yet, I have no regrets moving here.
In March, we closed on our 2,500 sf, 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom home and moved in within a few weeks, leaving behind 1,400 sf of townhouse in the big city behind. We upgraded to the suburbs.
If you read that and felt yourself recoil at the suburbs characterized as an upgrade, I get it. I used to be you. I hated the suburbs on principle. They’re over developed, car dependent cesspools of food deserts, dollar stores, and people who voted from Trump.
And yet, I have no regrets moving here.
We needed more space for our family, work, and hobbies. We needed space for the kids to play. We needed reprieve from the ravages of the pandemic on social life. The big city became repulsive beyond forgiveness. We were done.
Our new home came with some unwelcome surprises: undisclosed pet damage, 15 years of deferred maintenance, trashed appliances, improperly installed new flooring, crap paint and trim inside, cheap everything, that noisy BMW next door.
It also came with some welcome surprises: more space to think, new friends for our kids, schools that work better, a town mayor that fights the governor on overreaching pandemic restrictions, other native Oregonians, municipal internet.
We didn’t get a good deal on this house. Every other house we looked at had multiple offers, many over asking price. This one did not. It had no offers. Nobody wanted it at the price it was offered at. We didn’t have a half million dollars in cash lying around to make strong cash offers with.
Yet, it’s perfect for us.
We have an opportunity to make it perfect, while living in it. I’ve spent the last 10 years learning how to remodel and upgrade everything except plumbing. As I dig into these projects, I’m happy to make the investment. We have a place now to call home – our home.
Eventually, I’ll share with the noisy BMW owner our experience and see if he’d be willing to put a regular exhaust back on his sweet ride. But until then, I’ll enjoy the 6AM alarm clock I didn’t have to set the night before.
And maybe, I’ll find that I still have no regrets in a year from now.