HomeKeepr Blog

It all started with a shelf.

Home values are determined through a complicated series of calculations roughly based on the cost of actual construction plus value-adds like proximity to shopping and other conveniences. The prices that other nearby homes have sold for in the past are also taken into consideration. Formulas are applied, mysterious algorithms are run.

When you moved into your new house, the neighbors were so friendly. You almost felt bad about putting up a fence, but you promised your dog he’d have plenty of room to frolick when you finally owned your own little piece of land. So you did, and now those same neighbors are giving you the cold shoulder, along with a letter from their attorney.

Do you know how much your home is worth? No, really, do you?

You’ve finally found the home of your dreams. It’s perfect, the price is right, the neighborhood is wonderful (and walkable!) and it has some really awesome appliances. But when you go to your final walk-through, you’re shocked to discover that those awesome appliances have been removed, with absolutely no clue left as to their current whereabouts. Well, that certainly can’t stand! Where are the appliances?

You’re a homeowner now, you can kiss bland uniformity goodbye the moment you turn your apartment keys over to your now former landlord. The world is your canvas -- at least, that part of the world that you now are obligated to pay a monthly mortgage payment on -- and you’re the artist that’ll mold it into a shape that tantalizes and delights the senses.

Jennifer just closed on her very first home, a cornflower blue and white bungalow with a big front porch on a tidy cul de sac. She’s ecstatic as she thanks her Realtor for all his help, he opens the lockbox from her home for the very last time and gives her the key. Her key to her own house. After work, Jennifer loads up her car with some small items to take over to her new place. Her mind is racing. Is she really ready to be a homeowner? Her parents always seemed to know how to fix things and who to call if there was a problem they couldn’t handle -- everything just seemed like it came to them naturally. How did they know all this stuff? How was she going to learn it all at once?