The House that Love Built

New beginnings often start with painful endings. My new beginning came as a result of a divorce. I was commuting over 3 hours a day with 2 children in my car to and from work, working an average of 60 hours a week teaching and planning and grading papers, and hoping desperately to find a home close to work where my children and I could have peace and start over.  As a teacher and single mother, there wasn't much I could afford, nor was there much for sale in the area I was looking.  My parents taught me that owning was better than buying because of the equity you build (especially if you plan to stay in one place for a while).  This was doubly the case because the only nice apartment complex in the area was over $1000 for a 680 sf single bedroom apartment.