Are your kids involved with your real estate decisions? Many love it!
(Hat tip to daytrip)
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/22/realestate/when-new-york-kids-help-find-the-family-home.html?_r=0
A year and a half ago, Skye van Merkensteijn was shooting hoops with a friend who lives at the Aldyn, a condominium-rental hybrid on Riverside Boulevard with its own indoor basketball court, climbing wall and bowling alley.
Thirteen-year-old Skye was impressed — and envious. Well, his worldly pal told him, he just happened to know of an apartment for sale on the 21st floor.
Skye went home, jumped online and called up a video of the property in question — a 12-room spread with a hot tub and private 37-by-15-foot outdoor pool.
“When my husband, John, came home,” said Skye’s mother, Elizabeth van Merkensteijn, “Skye announced: ‘We’re moving and this is the place we’re moving to.’ ”
Read full article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/22/realestate/when-new-york-kids-help-find-the-family-home.html?_r=0
Much more entertaining than the article itself was the over 300+ comments that followed. One of my favorites: “They could afford the $14M apartment after all. I’m so relieved.”
As for me, our kids never helped us buy any home. But at the age of 10 and 13, they did help us build one. I still remember a milestone birthday of mine. There was our 13-year old with his dad’s nail gun and I–in the middle of a snowstorm–putting up siding. He had the time of his life, and before he got into tech, he was a framer for a time.
Call me silly, but I’m relieved my then 13-year old son has that childhood memory instead of 13-year old Skye–featured in the article–being impressed and envious with his friend’s condo’s amenities and being at the closing for the $14 million residence a few months later with his parents.
Me? I’ll never forget my son’s face when he picked out a brand-new BMX bike after our home-building adventure was over as “payment”. Both of our kids have told me their #1 favorite childhood memory was when we spent nearly every weekend one summer traveling to BMX races around the state…
Our kids were involved early on in the house hunting. Which is why we continued our house search without them. The reason? Every house we viewed they would say….”This house is awesome!! We should buy this one”. Of course, all of this was music to JtR’s ears, but mommy and daddy were a little too picky.
In the end, the kids love the house we bought despite not being involved in the decision making.
@Susie
awesome story!!
I am not skilled in any craftsmen trade, but your story gave me an idea on how to incentivize my kids to help me with the landscaping.
@justsomeguy
I still have the photo of our son standing outside the bike shop with his “new ride” after the house was complete. He’s grinning from ear to ear.
The story is bittersweet as months after we moved in my young husband was diagnosed with cancer. I have a whole photo album filled with photos of the kids with their dad building the house. Even at the age of 10 and 13, both kids were able to help us install radiant floor heating for the entire home.
We still laugh when we think back when we goofed and somehow too much concrete was poured and there was a small section that jutted out in what was to be our son’s room. We asked him, “Do you really want THIS in your room when it’s all finished?” When he said no, my (late) husband handed him some power tool to chip away at the goof and said, “Here ya go!” <- Great memories! And for the record, I love sweat equity…
My parents built their first vacation home when I was 9, furnished it, procured a dock and boat. They never asked my opinion on anything! I was expected to learn how to waterski! And fish! I just had to sit there, and take it. We didn’t have computers. When we had to do our homework, we had to use our nanny! Our nanny was chekoslavakian! No Mary Poppins for us! American rich kids don’t know what it was like, back in my day!!
Sorry for the rant, but some of these rich kids really bug me.
I don’t think I could stand house shopping with an out of touch millennial let alone loud bratty kids – leave the house shopping to the real grown ups