This post is 978 words and a 5-minute read.
Last week, everyone in the United States of America experienced some level of what I call "Frozen Tundra" temperatures. According to CNN, 80% of the country had below freezing temperatures with most places being covered in ice or snow.
My city of Atlanta was no different. Entering the Holiday shortened week, we had temperatures that hung around the low 40s. However, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were nothing I had experienced in all 5 years of living in Atlanta. Temperatures dropped below 20 degrees Fahrenheit and remained there for about 3 days.
For those of you who live in colder climates, you might scoff when I say it was freezing at 18 degrees. But guess what I DO NOT CARE! Because my behind might as well had been an icicle. In fact, here is a picture of an icicle from my water heater exhaust pipe.
Yes, that is an exhaust pipe, not a drainpipe. It was cold enough to cause gas to revert back to liquid and then turned the liquid into a solid. The point is IT WAS HELLA COLD!
Cold in the south is like sweet tea in the north. It is an abomination to everything human and holy.
You might be wondering, "If it was that cold, why the heck were you outside looking at your water heater gas exhaust pipe?"
Great Question
One of the things we have to do whenever we get a cold snap is to drip all our faucets in our homes. Our pipes are not insulated like in climates that experience regular periods of intense cold.
You can probably guess why I was outside now.
My dumbass-self forgot to drip the faucets in my house. Here's the irony, on Monday and Tuesday I called some of my friends and family to remind them to drip their faucets to ensure their pipes did not freeze. Then I promptly forgot to open up my faucets on Tuesday night.
Yes Yes go ahead. Shake your head and Palm your faces. I would too.
I woke up Wednesday morning, went to the bathroom did my little tinkle, flushed, proceeded to water my hands and noticed: No water. Weird. I closed the faucet opened it again, still nothing.
Immediately panic ensued as I realized what was happening.
MY PIPES ARE FROZEN!
My mind began racing as I began calculating the cost of a busted pipe. I was calculating the cost of redoing my crawlspace.
While I was still panicked over the frozen pipes, my roommate told me the cold side still worked. It was only the hot side not working. My mind began to calm down. I tried the cold side of my bathroom's faucets and it worked. So, I relaxed.
I put on all the winter gear I had and went into the crawlspace to ensure there was nothing worse happening to the pipes. I was praying all kinds of prayers that there would be no leaks. By the grace of God Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth, there were no leaks in the pipes.
After my crude inspection, which I spent half the time cussing out my decision ever to buy a home, I opened all the faucets in the house. Then I opened all the sink cabinets. Placed a heater in the crawlspace to warm up the area (not sure how much help that was). I placed another heater in front of my kitchen sink to warm up the pipes there.
After about 3 hours, I heard a loud gushing of water throughout the house. I immediately began to thank God because I knew I had been given an amazing blessing. I was in a meeting for work and got muted because it was so loud. I ignored the rest of the meeting, went down to my crawlspace, inspected the pipes for leak again while the water was running. Thankfully there were no leaks.
Why am I sharing this story?
In 2022, I wrote this post.
Over and over ever since buying my house, this has been proven to be true.
One thing I did not mention in that post is the mental tax you pay when buying a house. You are on edge trying to make sure nothing breaks or has broken since the last time you were home. You listen for any noises around the house to ensure nothing is happening that is out of the ordering. You always have a list of things that need to be done. There is forever something to be upgraded or changed. Maybe it’s just the house I bought and just me.
All that is to say. If you are planning to buy a house this year because you believe rates will fall. Please do not buy a house that will be your primary residence with a belief that you are investing, and you will make money on it. That is a lie that is sold by the real estate industry to get people to buy houses. If you do not believe me watch this video or re-read the post above, where I breakdown everything that is included in the process of buying a house and the hidden costs that no one talks about.
Please run the numbers FIRST and then decide if it fits the life you want.
This will probably be the largest purchase of your life that comes with a massive liability on your mental state. Go into that decision with your eyes wide open and mind well aware of what you are choosing to do.
God Bless You
✌🏾