The glass panes of my bathroom window were blown out during Hurricane Irene, more than six months ago and they still haven’t been replaced. Yes, it was quite cold getting in the shower during February.
There’s a leak, too, around the edge of the tub. Once, at least, water dripped into the apartment below.
A tile in my kitchen floor is cracked. Not sure how that happened. And the carbon monoxide detector recently fell from the ceiling, it crashed into bits of plastic on the floor. So, for now at least, my Gettysburg apartment is probably out of code.
The fix-it list for my apartment has grown quite long these days. (There’s not much that gets crossed off the list). And I’ve come to realize that it requires some effort, though relatively small, to maintain even a single-person apartment.
I can just imagine how long my fix-it list would be if I owned a house.
Of course, that’s not likely to happen anytime soon.
I’m part of what researchers are calling the “Rent Generation,” those of us who will remain tenants well into our 30s.
A recent survey found two-thirds of potential first-time buyers have no realistic prospect of owning a home in the next five years.
Analysts point to many reasons: stagnant salaries, the burden of student loans, fewer banks are lending. The news is filled with reports that housing prices are at record lows. But salaries are down, too, while the cost of living continues to increase.
Of course, I have little interest in buying a house right now. But I have a friend who has been looking, unsuccessfully, for more than a year. He’s working and married, with a young daughter. But the family can’t afford a down-payment in the Maryland community where he grew up.
Me, I don’t mind being a tenant. It’s certainly less upkeep. So I won’t think much about the dismal prospects of owning a house. I’ll just enjoy having a landlord to call for water leaks.
And maybe, if I get around to it, I’ll have my bathroom window replaced before next winter.
