Dreamin of home

When I was younger, I dreamed of having a sprawling mansion. I wanted to lead a big, rich life and have a home like.....

this one....

or this one.....

...but as my life has progressed and I've grown up a little, the thought of cleaning something that large kind of makes me want to toss my cookies a little. That is a whole lot of work for a house. I suppose a maid could be hired, but I'm getting to the point that I really don't like spending money on stuff that I don't really need. And a maid is one of those luxuries that I really just don't see the point of paying for a on a regular basis while I have children to clean for me am an able bodied person who can clean. My tastes have changed fairly significantly. I more prefer...

something like this....

or like this....

I would be content with a 3-4 bedroom 2 bath home that doesn't have a huge yard or anything like that, just room enough for us to sprawl a little and play and is affordable.

So what encourages this post? A couple reasons actually.

1. I like where I live currently. I feel more at home than I did in my previous place for some reason. However, the dishwasher keeps breaking and the maintenance keeps "fixing" it with super glue (I'm pretty sure anyway). One wall of outlets keeps blowing a fuze when I use any of the appliances. My bathroom plug just simply won't work any longer and there isn't a whole lot to do about it. The windows are soo drafty that you can literally feel the cold air from quite a distance away. And the most recent....my ceiling has started leaking. On telling my management about it, they tell me all sorts of stories....the weather needs to warm up before they can fix it, it's hard to pinpoint where leaks start from (there is a section of the roof above where the leak is that I can literally see wood), they have to get approval from the owners of the property to make major repairs, the cost is expensive....etc etc etc. All of those are legit I'm sure, but doesn't change the fact that I have a leaky roof.
2. I have a bit of an obsession with home design software and have recently started playing around with it again, which increases my desire to have my own home to design.
3. Pinterest has SOOOO many cute ideas for home decoration. I so badly want to be able to personalize a home of my own to fit my style. Not have to obtain permission to do stuff.
4. My kids keep begging for a house so they don't have to play quietly, stop stomping and wrestling (our neighbors below don't appreciate that much) and drag their bikes and toys up a flight of stairs when they are done playing with them.
5. I would love to do my laundry and clean my house at any time of the day or night without the neighbors complaining that my beater washer and dryer are too noisy.
6. I want somewhere permanent. Somewhere that is all mine and I can do what I please with it. Stability for my kids and myself.
7. Home prices and interest rates are absolutely amazing. There has never been a better time to buy a house than now.
8. There is a home that I drive past every week on our way to church that is for sale. I love the neighborhood and it is such a cute house. I am completely drawn to it and have no idea why.

So some of these reasons would make most people be nervous to own a home, like the maintenance stuff. But I would have the freedom to fix things on my own instead of leaving them as they are so that my kids and I have a safe home to live in with working parts. Sure it's expensive, but that is what savings are for. I've done really good at keeping a steady stream of money going into savings and haven't touched it. That is amazing for me. I've also done good at categorizing my spending and it's been nice to have the money to not only pay my bills and get the household items, but also to have the money to spend on entertainment as well without concern over whether or not I can afford it. I think I am getting closer every day to being able to afford my own home and the prospect is exciting to me. I just need to get my credit in order now and things will be peachy. And hopefully until that time, I can be patient and calm my excitment/anxiety about this whole home thing.