New Home Hurdles

By Tracey and Duane Wood

Reprinted from the November 7, 2003 issue of The Calgary Real Estate News

There's nothing more exciting than the anticipation of your first home!  That's what Scott Wood and Rosaline Roszko were feeling in the spring of 2002 when they made the decision to have a home built in the new community of Luxstone in Airdrie.

Scott and Rosaline, along with their young daughter, Mackenzie, had been long-time residents of Capitol Hill when their landlords advised them the house they were renting was going to be sold.  They had plenty of notice, so opted to fulfill their dream of having a home of their own built.  "We just wanted to start fresh," said Scott.  "After living in an older home, we were looking forward to raising our new family in new surroundings."  

They chose Airdrie for its sense of community, as Rosaline grew up in a small town and wanted the same type of experience for Mackenzie.  Scott was impressed with the local schools, and together they embarked on the search for a builder.  It took six months to go through the entire process, but in September 2002 they were thrilled to move in to their lovely two-bedroom raised bungalow.

The family is enjoying its new home, and in particular the neighbourhood.  "It's full of young families, just like ours," Rosaline advised.  "There are lots of first-time homeowners, so we're all in the same boat."

Although enthusiastic when recounting their initial decision to buy a new home, Scott and Rosaline are a little more reticent when they reflect upon the first year of home ownership.  Like most first-time homebuyers, virtually all of their savings went into the down payment, legal fees and moving costs associated with getting into the house.  That left very little for all the projects they felt needed to be completed in the first year.

The problems began when the couple discovered the grade in their yard was not going to be flat.  That lead to the necessity and expense of retaining walls and other costs associated with building their garage into the grade.  These were expenses they had not allowed for in their budget.  Add on the cost of other projects they had planned for, such as the garage itself, a deck and some landscaping, and they soon found themselves feeling the stress so common to first-time homebuyers.

"It was more than what we bargained for," said Scott.  Even those expenses they had known about in advance seemed to cost twice as much and take twice as long as expected.  Consequently, a year after moving in, the couple is just beginning to get out from under that first-year pressure.  "So much needs to be done in the first year," commented Rosaline, "and there are so many other things you'd like to do, such as accessorizing and buying new furniture.  It's hard to accept that you can't do it all right away."

Despite the challenges, there is still a glint in their eyes when they show you around their comfortable family home.  Pride in ownership is evident, and that's something you can't put a price on.  When asked if they had any advice for first-time homebuyers, Rosaline had some words of wisdom:  "You have to anticipate that there are going to be some difficult times."

With most of the big projects out of the way, they're counting on smooth sailing - for a while, at least.  There's always the fence, scheduled to be put up next spring!