The why, and how Tiny is still Home.
When we made the announcement that we were going tiny, people had many questions. How? Why? Are you going on one of those tiny house shows? As a Realtor, doesn't that go against everything you work for? There are so, so many answers and while some are simple, others have many, many layers.
The how is pretty simple. We downsized our physical belongings, put our brick and mortar house on the market, did a few upgrades to our 5th wheel Montana High Country and set up on family land that already had water, electric and septic hook ups. We love being closer to family, the tiny is fully insulated for all four seasons and we're quite comfortable.
The why is much more complicated and I won't go into details, but the long and short is that we learned that no matter how perfect a house is, if it's in the wrong location will never be our home.
The town our brick and mortar was in was beautiful. It had a small town feel with the restaurants, activities and opportunities of a city and when we bought there we thought it was the best of both worlds. But our family wasn't there, and with the pandemic, illnesses and personal trials we learned that for us, family is where our home is. And home is so much more important than house.
To those who asked, and still ask, if we're going on one of those tiny house shows, the answer is unequivocally no. We love watching them but have no interest in seeing our faces on TV! I do share some of our journey on social media though, if you're interested in following along.
Finally, the question of my beliefs and ethics as a Realtor. I advocate for homeownership and gaining equity rather than paying someone else's mortgage. But you can still own your home, even if a brick and mortar house isn't for you.
We have complete autonomy in our tiny home. We can paint, make upgrades and even drive it to a different location! Any money we spend on our tiny is an investment in our home instead of a landlord's property. If we make changes or do repairs they are to directly better our life and our home.
Homeownership is about so much more than the physical structure. The most important thing is knowing your priorities, finding something that fits your needs and making the investment in your future. What can I do to help make home a reality for you?