Photo by Jason Long on Unsplash
We are deep into spring, and Portland is officially in bloom. It's that time of year when trees are flush with greenery; there are petals just about everywhere, including the sidewalks, and many of us get excited about gardening. Drive by any nursery or garden center on a sunny Saturday morning, and you'll see their parking lots full of cars because this is the season for every gardener, not just the dyed-in-the-wool variety. Even I got swept up in the excitement this year and decided to start some tomatoes from seed, something I haven't done since probably third grade.
Last week I told one of my clients about my little gardening project and how much delight I've gotten from seeing each small transition from seed to sprout to leaf development. Upon hearing this, my client reminded me of something she was thankful I'd said to her and her partner over a decade ago when we were in the thick of the search for their first home. At the time, they lived in a small apartment without any outdoor space, and one of the things they were sure they wanted was a nice big yard.
One morning we walked through a property with a substantial outdoor area that she was excited about, and I asked her if she had gardened much before. When she said no, I offered that some people I knew had started their gardening journeys with a couple of raised beds so they could gauge how much they enjoyed spending their free time doing yard work. The property they bought months later had less yard space, and she admitted that she is grateful for that now. Over the years, she's come to understand that while she enjoys gardening, she also enjoys many other things. So whenever there's an uptick in yardwork, she feels a bit put out.
When you haven't owned a property before (and even if you have), it can be challenging to know precisely how you will feel about the various kinds of work involved in updating and maintaining the inside and outside of a home. When we are inundated with images about the joys of gardening or backyard entertaining, those ideas can make it a little bit harder to imagine what other experiences are possible and connect with our desires.
Of course, not everyone with a large yard is an avid gardener. Some homeowners hire people to do that work for them, which is great if that's within your budget. In much the same way that we encourage folks to inquire about utility costs for a property, we think it's a good idea to consider, and even ask about, annual landscaping costs, too, including estimates for an arborist if there are any large trees on the property. Yard maintenance is one of the many expenditures of money and (or) labor involved in homeownership that you want to examine within the context of your current lifestyle and budget.
If you already know you love spending time outdoors but don't like digging, pruning, or mowing, you might consider investing in a low-maintenance xeriscaped yard with a seating area like a patio. You may also be perfectly happy so long as you can see trees from your windows and walk to a park in under twenty minutes. Everyone is different–that's the beauty of it. Our goal, as always, is to support you in finding the homeownership situation most compatible with your needs and lifestyle.
Drop us a line if you want to talk through your outdoor ambitions>>