My wife and I recently purchased a townhouse in Pennsylvania after more than three decades in the Bronx, five blocks from Yankee Stadium. If you have lived in a large city like New York, you know it can be extremely loud, especially in the summer. Young people play loud music, and sometimes, fights break out on a street and spill out into the nearby park. I have seen people going at it, attacking one another with baseball bats and other makeshift weapons. Luckily, I have never been involved as a participant or victim. But this doesn’t mean we’re always safe. I remember one time when somebody almost got run over. I can’t remember the circumstances, but it seems like somebody was crossing the street or dropping someone off. Whatever the case was, everything escalated when one of the drivers pulled out a machete, rattled it on the asphalt, and made for the other driver. Eventually, somebody called the police, and they broke up the fight.

Fast forward to last November. We were happy to finally purchase our townhouse in Easton, Pennsylvania. It’s a modest home, but it is very beautiful and roomy. It has three levels: a basement, a first floor, and a second floor. There is so much room that I take pleasure in going upstairs, downstairs, and all the way to the basement many times a day. Homeowners for the first time at 60 plus years old. Yes, you got that right. My wife and I were not born with silver spoons in our mouths. So, for us, buying a home was an uphill battle, one that lasted many years, sometimes with tears and frustrations. Finally, we made it.

In hindsight, I feel that we could have bought a house much earlier. I was afraid that we might not be able to pay the mortgage, given our meager incomes. Eventually, I had to man up and commit myself. After we visited the community, I said, we buy a townhouse or nothing. My wife saw how serious I was, and she got on board. We then decided on a plan to pay the mortgage without falling behind. We opened a joint account with more than $70,000 in it and decided to add more money regularly so there wouldn’t be any surprises. So far, we have made two payments: January and February 2025, and we currently have $63,000 in the account. The next payment will be withdrawn on March 1st, which will lower the current balance to below $60,000. But we will put more money into the account. We haven’t been doing this regularly, which is why the balance is so low. I am confident that we will do just fine. Soon, I will receive a good chunk of money from the most recent raise at work. Part of that money can be put toward the mortgage. It will go to the mortgage account.

Buying a house is not an easy or simple endeavor. It can be very scary because all sorts of thoughts cross your mind. What if I lose my job and can’t pay? What if I become sick and can’t work? What if, what if, what if? But at the end of the day, we need to commit to something and let the chips fall where they may. We committed ourselves, we bought the house, and now we’re happy and proud that we are finally homeowners, both of us in our sixties. Whatever happens in the next few months or years, at least we took the initiative; we took the risk to build equity and leave our offspring something to continue building their lives on. In that sense, we should be able to consider ourselves trailblazers of some sort.

As I reflect on the process about seven months after taking possession of the house, I still think we made the right decision. We both continue to work in New York City, where we still have our two-bedroom apartment. Luckily, it’s rent stabilized and affordable. On weekend or midway through the week, we drive to our new residence. We both work from home on Fridays, so it makes things a lot easier on this front. Additionally, it is more relaxing, which I think can potentially boost the quality of our work.

Sometimes, we may experience fear or apprehension when faced with a tough decision. Anything can go wrong anytime. Conversely, things can go in the right direction. All it takes is grit and a determination to succeed. We decided to purchase a home after initial hesitations. Today, we’re happy that we did!