Considering I am yet another victim of New Orleans’s infamous slumlords, I’ve found myself once again considering being a home owner. After our first attempt failed almost seven years ago, we’ve been reluctant to try again and resigned ourselves to being lifetime renters. But lo and behold, I just saw a post on Instagram saying that the city of New Orleans is once again offering assistance to low income, first-time homebuyers and I think we might be ready to take another stab.
While interest rates are at an all-time low, housing prices have freaking skyrocketed, and that isn’t our only concern. What happens when the next hurricane rolls through? I’m not as concerned with flooding, considering the levees have been heavily reinforced since Katrina, but wind damage and insurance costs ain’t no joke.
All things considered, I still cling to the hope that I will one day be a proud homeowner in this fabulously flawed city by the Mighty Mississippi. John and I have signed up for the first-time homebuyer classes again, which are thankfully done through Zoom meetings (pandemic upside?), and we’re already hunting for a double, which would turn the tables and make us the (not so evil) landlords.
Feeling unusually optimistic, I did an earnest search today on Realtor.com for something that might suit and found this cute double in the Hollygrove neighborhood. Built in 1951 (only 70 years?), it’s not quite as old as I’d like, but it still has features I wholly appreciate. There’s high ceilings, transoms, floor to ceiling windows and a decent backyard. Listed at $289,000, it’s priced pretty high considering the location, but I have to admit, it’s damn cute!
It’s likely this isn’t THE house, but I certainly wouldn’t mind if y’all kept your fingers crossed for us and send good house-hunting vibes our way. It might not help, but it definitely won’t hurt!
