Caption: Andrea Quenneville used to spend weekends camping, but homeownership means raking and mowing have become the new outdoor family activities., Credit: Jess Bidgood
Image by: Jess Bidgood 
Andrea Quenneville used to spend weekends camping, but homeownership means raking and mowing have become the new outdoor family activities. 

Doubting the Suburban Dream Home - Homeownership Series Part 2

From: Curt Nickisch
Series: The Depreciating American Dream
Length: 04:23

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Andrea and Raymond Quenneville think they timed it about as well as they could, taking the plunge last year at what they considered a low point in the market. They bought a yellow house in Merrimack, N.H. But the house has dropped in value, and they seem to spend all their free time on fix-it projects. Sometimes Andrea wishes they were still renting. Read the full description.

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Seriously, what did I get myself into?  New homeowners thought buying a house would be awesome.  No longer throwing money ‘down the drain’ to a landlord.  A great investment.  Climbing the socio-economic ladder.

 

Turns out, more like a time investment.  Spending every Saturday morning making a Home Depot run, and the rest of the weekend on some fixit project.  Shelling out for the plumber.  Climbing a real ladder to fret over the roof.

 

About two-thirds of households live in homs they own, but only 13% say they’ve achieved the American Dream.  There’s a major cost to homeownership, and many people get homebuyer’s remorse big-time once they figure that out.

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Piece Description

Seriously, what did I get myself into?  New homeowners thought buying a house would be awesome.  No longer throwing money ‘down the drain’ to a landlord.  A great investment.  Climbing the socio-economic ladder.

 

Turns out, more like a time investment.  Spending every Saturday morning making a Home Depot run, and the rest of the weekend on some fixit project.  Shelling out for the plumber.  Climbing a real ladder to fret over the roof.

 

About two-thirds of households live in homs they own, but only 13% say they’ve achieved the American Dream.  There’s a major cost to homeownership, and many people get homebuyer’s remorse big-time once they figure that out.

Transcript

SUGGESTED LEAD:

This week on we’re looking at the financial and emotional toll of homeownership in a series we're calling the Depreciating American Dream.

Yesterday we heard from a Boston family relieved to be losing their home. Today we hear from a suburban family who has come to similar doubts about homeownership. WBUR’s Curt Nickisch reports.

STORY:

Andrea and Raymond Quenneville think they timed it about as well as they could, taking the plunge last year at what they considered a low point in the market. They bought a yellow house in Merrimack, New Hampshire.

POST ANDREA AT: Four bathrooms, two car garage, and then upstairs we have five bedrooms. EBEN: We have a bathroom downstairs. ANDREA: For a family of six, it’s nice to have so much space.

3000 square feet is enough for Raymond to have a room stacked with guitars and a sound mixing board – he records mus...
Read the full transcript

Intro and Outro

INTRO:

SUGGESTED LEAD:

This week on we’re looking at the financial and emotional toll of homeownership in a series we're calling the Depreciating American Dream.

Yesterday we heard from a Boston family relieved to be losing their home. Today we hear from a suburban family who has come to similar doubts about homeownership. Curt Nickisch reports.

OUTRO:

Related Website

http://www.wbur.org/2010/03/30/depreciating-dream-ii