I think becoming a homeowner is a rite of passage for adulthood... a milestone I've been striving towards for the past 10+ months. Arg, I'm irritated just TYPING 10 months- why is it so hard to find a house ?!?! Ok I digress... As such, like any other rite, it comes with its own set of rituals, its own language, its own customs and standards- notwithstanding the considerable variability in each individual journey. HGTV could be a helpful Beatrice (or Virgil, depending on your view) for this passage... or so I thought! Without further ado, my thoughts on how HGTV is ruining this process for me:
1. Enough with the house hunters who want 4+BR, open gourmet kitchen, huge backyard, walk-in closets, 3 car garage, etc etc etc... all with a budget of $200K. I hate you, I don't even care that you're looking for a house in BFN (which means your budget is actually realistic) as opposed to the artificially ridiculously inflated markets of Orange County, I just don't want to hear it.
2. Not all houses can be renovated and decorated into gorgeous dream homes, so stop raising my hopes, HGTV!! You have created these unrealistic expectations, such that I as a first-time homebuyer have actually considered massive fixer-upper projects as viable options. I do not have the Property Brothers or Hilary Farr (of "Love It or List It", a Park family fave) in my corner, so whatever magical changes I have planned will come at great cost and effort... Not within the span of an hour-long tv show.
3. I do not have a house yet, but even if I did have a house, I don't know that I'd be able to furnish it. Why? Because I fear that I will be paralyzed by style indecision. Like many others trying to make it in our brave new world of social-media-soaked living, I have dutifully been collecting, pinning, curating pictures of rooms/decor that I like on Houzz, Pinterest, etc... in addition to frantically trying to mentally catalogue design tips from every HGTV home makeover show. Yet to what dubious end? When I'm actually faced with the prospect of buying something to place in my new home, will I be able to overcome the paroxysms of doubt about what a particular piece says about my overall taste and aesthetic? I don't have the answers... because I don't have a home, but dangnabit you all the same, HGTV (and Pinterest and Houzz!!!!).
