Apr 22, 2022 4 min read

So I bought my next home.

After looking at about a dozen places, I found something that feels just right. It’s a condo with green space around it and a spectacular view of a wooded valley and the Pittsburgh skyline.

“Good place to watch the fireworks,” I said as my real estate agent and I stood on the back patio. Inside’s nice too, updated with a high ceiling and lots of natural light.

I walked around the place for about 15 minutes before deciding to make an offer – just 15 minutes: only a bit more time than I would take to decide on a new pair of cycling shoes. But as my agent said, the market’s hot. Best not to drag one’s feet.

I signed the papers the next day. And then the nightly freak-outs began:

Freak-out One: The place is too big! Smoothie and I are going to wander around in there like two fleas on a lily pad. What was I thinking?

Freak-out Two: Those skylights are famous for leaking. I’m going to have buckets in the living room to catch the rain.

Freak-out Three: I’m attached to the next condo. What if those people are night-owl-heavy-metal-garage-band people?

Freak-out Four: The seller disclosure mentioned a spider problem. It also noted that the problem was corrected, but aren’t spiders like raccoons and always find their way back?

Freak-out Five: There’s a heated garage floor. Will I afford my heating bill?

Freak-out Six: Will Smoothie like it there? He’s such a creature of habit that he sits in the same place in our house at the same times every day. He’s going to be disoriented.

Freak-out Seven: I currently live within close walking distance of a very good car repair shop. I can drop my car and walk home. No waiting or car rentals. Can I live in this new place without that convenience?

Freak-out Eight: $

Freak-out Nine: Am I too far from the bike trail?

Freak-outs 10 and 11: $

Freak-out 12: Will the king-size bed fit in the guest room upstairs? When my daughter saw the photos, she said she’d be happy there so long as she had that bed.

I wonder if all home buyers have freak-outs, aka buyer’s remorse. This will be the sixth house I’ve bought over the past 35 years or so; I don’t remember any of them causing this many freak-outs.

Maybe this has something to do with the lifestyle change that precipitated this move. I’m going from a smallish place with lots of green space around it to a neighborhood with lots of people all around me. I’ll not have to mow grass, shovel snow or drag the trash cans up the long hilly driveway to the curb. The outside parts of the new place will make life easier.

Happy to say I didn’t share but one or two of my freak-outs with the real estate agent. For most of them, I worried for an hour and then fell asleep, ready to put that worry behind me and start a new one the next morning.

I went back to the condo for a second look last week. It’s not too big. The skylights are fine. The homeowners association has a noise ordinance. Smoothie will be OK as long as he’s with me. I’ll find a car repair place nearby. I’ll be exactly the same distance to the bike trail as I am now. I measured, and the king bed will just fit.

The only unresolved worry is the spiders. They are unpredictable. I reserve the right to freak out as needed.

Beth Dolinar can be reached at cootiej@aol.com/.