What's Going On: Why owning a home is more myth than reality

It had been more than 50 years since she had been inside the house.

She grew up there, living in the two-story home for about a dozen years, until her parents moved out in 1959.

Half-a-century later though, she wanted to relive some of those memories, prompting her to call my wife and ask if she could walk through our house.

Much kinder than her prickly-husband, my wife not only accommodated the request but was eagerly looking forward to talking to the woman who knows so much more about our home’s history.

My wife’s curiosity was instantly satiated. Yes, that is the original fireplace that was there in the 1940s, although the wood pellet insert is new. The kitchen has been completely remodeled, including the enclosed cabinets which used to be open. The first floor bathroom only had a toilet and a sink when she lived there, no tub.

Upstairs there was a couple new closets, one which used to be a sewing room, another was a bathroom. The current bathroom? Well, that was where her older brother slept.

Of course it was.

While the history was interesting, our visitor last week reminded me of an underlying truth we sometimes forget or at least ignore: home ownership is a myth.

In our seven years of marriage, my wife and I have twice transitioned from home “renters” to home “owners.”

During each buying process, we weighed the pros of home ownership (build up equity/personal worth, stability, higher quality of life) versus the cons (taxes, insurance, increased liability) and both times, we obviously believed owning a home was more beneficial than renting.

Owning property has been a large part of the “American Dream” for centuries. Millions of people through hundreds of years have traveled countless miles for months and even years in pursuit of this dream, and continue to do so today.

The vast open spaces of this country make that dream realistic and obtainable for everyone who wishes to pursuit it.

But in reality, do any of us really own a home and especially the ground where it sits?

While my wife has threatened to start cutting off my body parts if we have to move again, we will eventually in one way or another. By casket or basket, we will leave our house ats some point and time.

When that happens, someone else will assume ownership. Maybe it will be a child, but they will most likely sell it anyway as they will probably be living elsewhere.

So at that point, our home will be passed on to the next family, or the equivalent of a new renter moving in.

Logistically speaking, the fallacy of true property ownership is even more laughable. Beyond the obvious of the bank owning 98 percent of my home’s value based on mortgage payments, there is the aspect of taxes. Should I stop paying those government issued expenses, I guarantee I will no longer “own” my home. Someone else will and they won’t buy it from me.

Even ownership rights of the dirt itself have been disputed. I recall in nearby Mills County local farmers asking their county supervisors to stop a fellow farmer from hauling dirt by the truckload off his property. They argued it devalued the property … not their property, but the guy whose dirt was being hauled away.

In that instance, supervisors ruled on the side of the property “owner” and let him do what he wanted with his dirt which he was selling to farmers affected by the recent floods.

Whether it’s farmland or a home in a residential neighborhood, we truly are just shortterm caretakers. The home was there before I came to town and it will be there after I leave.

All I get is the opportunity to add to the collection of memories created in this home. Friday I was reminded that collection is far from exclusive. It’s something many people will share for a lifetime.

Gregory Orear is the General Manager/Editor of the Red Oak Express and Glenwood Opinion-Tribune. He can be contacted at publisher@redoakexpress.com.