I think there ought to be a series of merit badges you can earn as a first-time homeowner. So when, after you’ve spent an entire day scrubbing bathtubs and sinks and floors, you run a quick load of laundry down to the basement only to discover that all of that water has been forming some kind of horrible-smelling basement bog all day long because the waste main has cracked, you get a little something nice for your trouble.
Thankfully, I have not yet earned the “contractors ripping you off” badge. The plumber who came out to plug the leak late yesterday was awesome. A more permanent fix is hopefully coming later this week.
Did I mention I’m also getting my cornice redone? Because the hurricane ripped part of it down and the wood is too rotten to repair without redoing the whole thing?
It’s OK. I don’t like having money in my savings account, anyway. Plus I’m working towards my bankruptcy merit badge.
Yes. Badges. Yes, this should be something that realtors give out as compensation for the evils of the business, in order to more fully convince we buyers that they care (because, mostly, they don’t).