We Bought Another House!
By patgalca
@patgalca (18481)
Orangeville, Ontario
June 28, 2019 6:46pm CST
By another I mean an ADDITIONAL house. My husband comes from the east coast of Canada. We live in Ontario. He goes down to see his family a few times a year (now that my daughter works for an airlines). His parents moved into a seniors residence at the beginning of May. They wanted the house to stay in the family so my husband decided to buy it. Yes, he decided. When he asked my opinion he didn't like what I had to say so he did what he wanted anyway. His original plan was to retire down there. Thankfully someone talked some sense into him. Who wants to spend winters down there?
The purchase took awhile. So much red tape. Really, it was his brother who didn't trust me to sell the house back to the family if my husband were to pass away before me. Then my father-in-law voiced that he didn't realize MY name was going to be on the house. Our closing was a full month later than planned.
The only way my husband could purchase our "vacation home" by himself would be to cash out his RRSPs, but then he would have nothing to live on when he does retire in 5-10 years. He keeps changing his mind on when THAT will be. In the meantime he is renting the house out. So I had to be included in this because we are mortgaging the house HERE to pay for that house. It was really cheap because it's a family transaction.
I flew down with him for a week (he stayed an extra week to do some work on the house) and found that it was actually kind of nice being alone in that house together. And his siblings were all making jokes about knocking before coming in. Hard to get used to the fact that it is no longer their parents' home. It didn't really bother me except for when my husband went out leaving me alone in the house. I heard the door close twice. So someone came in but I never found out who. His family is trying to be respectful of the fact that it is my house too. In fact, my husband was going to change bedrooms after I left so his sister and her husband could sleep in the room that I claimed as our's. Everyone agreed with me that it is OUR bedroom, OUR house.
It's been a little stressful but I am looking forward to seeing what the future brings.
10 people like this
12 responses
@patgalca (18481)
• Orangeville, Ontario
29 Jun 19
Buying out of province was not easy. We had to have a lawyer in both locations because we are mortgaging THIS house in Ontario. That means PAYING 2 lawyers, but I think there is some family money left in the bank account to help with the one down there.
1 person likes this
@patgalca (18481)
• Orangeville, Ontario
29 Jun 19
@inertia4 Honestly, I would rather have a beach house like most of his family does. His parents' house is not near the beach. But now he has rented out the house to long term renters so maybe we will find ourselves looking for a small beach home... if we win a lottery or something. 
1 person likes this
@inertia4 (27978)
• United States
29 Jun 19
@patgalca That had to be a hard thing. Right now I don't have to deal with that. But at some point I might. I will however stay in New York. Even if I leave the city I will stay upstate somewhere. I would love to buy a second home now for me to go to. But it don't seem to be in the cards. Good luck with your new home.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169534)
• United States
9 Jul 19
This could be a good thing. I am sorry his family mistrusts your intentions.Glad they are working on respecting you.
1 person likes this
@patgalca (18481)
• Orangeville, Ontario
11 Jul 19
One of the issues stems from a previous experience where a wife had the home put in her name alone. I have never really shown much interest in vacationing there but having our own place is different, and when my does leave this world it could be 30 years from now, or I could die before him. You never know. They are just being careful. When I signed the note I prepared I used the term "surviving siblings" because who knows how many of THEM will still be around. Plus, OUR children are family and maybe they will want the house. A lot of variables and, like I said, they are just being careful. My father-in-law's father had lots of land and gave it to him where he built the house in 1962. He just doesn't want to see it leave the family. Understandable. It was devastating selling my parents' family home. I miss it so much, but don't miss the drive to the city.
@patgalca (18481)
• Orangeville, Ontario
29 Jun 19
I'm not that understanding. I said no outright, that I wasn't moving away from our kids. But then someone must have talked to him because he said we'd only spend 4 months of the year down there after retirement. What my husband wants, he gets. He only thinks of himself. But he may be thinking about grandkids too now that our eldest is engaged.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39503)
• United States
29 Jun 19
dealin' with family 'tis most oft filled with diff'culties. i reckon the siblin's could'a insisted a clause be put'n that if'n somethin' happened to yer hubs 'n ya wished to sell, they'd 've 1st dibs 't fair market value.
1 person likes this
@Morleyhunt (21741)
• Canada
16 Aug 19
We purchased a house on the east coast as our retirement home, almost 2 years ago.
We left behind family and friends and struck out on a new adventure. We love it here!
Our children visit regularly...we travel back to Ontario a few times a year....
1 person likes this
@patgalca (18481)
• Orangeville, Ontario
16 Aug 19
My husband's brother lives in Alberta with his wife and children. His wife is from Alberta. When they had only one child they moved out to PEI but after a year his wife wanted to move back home. It didn't work out for them as she missed her family (mother & sister). They now have 4 boys. I think we can learn from other people's experiences. My husband becomes a different person down there and I'm just not sure I could handle that, especially all year long. Plus winters in PEI? No thanks,
@allknowing (153529)
• India
29 Jun 19
The only plus point I see here is that a member of the family has kept the house in the family. Wonder if your children would do it too.
1 person likes this
@patgalca (18481)
• Orangeville, Ontario
29 Jun 19
The houses here are half a million dollars, even for townhouses. It's ridiculously high. The market value of the house in Prince Edward Island is $145,000 for a 3 bedroom bungalow. To keep the house in the family they were asking $100,000 but when my husband pointed out some work that needed to be done on it they agreed to $85,000. Now we have to keep track of every dollar we put into that house so that if it comes to a point where I sell it back to the family, I have to show all the money I put into it in order to get a fair price.
I'm not sure about property taxes there but we pay over $4,000 a year here. Terrible. Cost of living? Well, I don't think there are that many jobs. His nieces and nephews have been moving off the Island. And the doctors don't seem to know squat.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (98072)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
29 Jun 19
Good luck with the house and I hope you enjoy it.
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (118793)
• Anniston, Alabama
29 Jun 19
It will be fine. I bought a family home and I caught crap for a while but its all good now. It took a while and calling the police a couple times.
What did everyone expect that he would take from you to buy the house and not give it to you if he passes before you?
