Articles

The Downside of Renting

9/18/2014

Part of the military life is moving and deciding to rent or buy a home at each new location. Many of our Army friends have decided to buy along the way, but Tim and I have chosen to rent until he's out of the service. We don't want the extra stress and of owning a home, although there are definite benefits to being a homeowner and letting someone else pay your mortgage!

This time around, we're renting a home that was built in the 1970's, and we're finding it quite the challenge! Minus the atrium in the middle of the house (with lovely poop colored walls), and the three-way mirror in the hallway, the kitchen and bathrooms were semi-remodeled making it appear more attractive. Little did we know, much of the updates were installed improperly, including the tile job in our master bathroom.

For the last three weeks a horrific sewage smell has been pouring from the bathroom each time we drain the tub, and then it began to just linger the last couple weeks. Unfortunately, one downside to renting is that you're at the mercy of the property manager. And ours was in no hurry to fix this problem. Long story short, we finally had a professional visit our home yesterday who diagnosed the problem. The fumes emitted while they fixed the problem were unbearable and filled our entire home--DISGUSTING! Luckily, the owner paid for us to stay in a hotel during the demolition process.

Addie thought this was pretty special and enjoyed our little vacation. She wanted to watch "fishy moomie" (Finding Nemo) as soon as we arrived. After about five minutes, boredom struck so we went for a walk around the hotel. The grounds were beautiful, so we spent lots of time outside. Each time we went out for a walk, Addie brought her toy helicopter along for the journey. We ate dinner at the hotel's restaurant, where she ordered her own drink and meal, and thanked the server each time he brought her something, so cute! We returned home yesterday, sans-sewage smell, thank goodness! Hopefully that's the last of our problems in this aging home--fingers crossed!