HOME

For me, home is not only where the heart is, but it’s where the Great Lakes, Belle Isle, Coney Islands, and the Avenue of Fashion are, too. I’ve lived in Michigan my entire life, but something about living here as an adult feels even more special.

When I think about the neighborhood I grew up in, the famous line from the "Cheers" theme song always pops into my head: "Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name/ and they're always glad you came." On my block, we had a strong sense of community. We all looked out for one another, my brothers and I had play dates with the kids around our age groups, we exchanged gifts on holidays and birthdays, and our annual summertime block party was an event that everyone looked forward to.

Forty-eight days. That’s how long I’ve been in the house since the stay-at-home order has taken place. It’s a surreal feeling, being cooped up inside like this. And while I am grateful to have a home where I can complain about being cooped up in, one of the harsh realities of this is that there are so many people within the city and state that don’t.

I knew one thing was for certain: my home had to be in Detroit! I found a great realtor, and she was super helpful when it came to answering all of my questions. Since this was my first time buying a property, there was SO much I didn't know and needed to learn. I was constantly texting my realtor at random hours of the day and Googling things. At times, I felt like I needed to know every. single. little. thing. there was to know about homeownership, but then I would have to snap out of it and remind myself that it was a process, and I would pick things up along the way. Baby steps!

I’ve been sleeping on my Beautyrest for about five months now, and I absolutely love it. I sleep more comfortably throughout the night, my body doesn’t ache or feel stiff like it did before, and it’s the hybrid feel is just right. I’m proud of myself for making the investment.

To me, you really set the tone for your event with the invite. While text invitations are super convenient for my generation, sometimes there’s nothing like receiving something tangible in the mail. It’s like, “Wow, you really want me to come?!” Coming up with a design for an invitation can be the most challenging part – even more challenging than putting your guest list together! That’s why websites like Basic Invite exist.

If you haven’t heard the news, I’m a homeowner now! At the end of August, I signed my name on a bunch of dotted lines as the sole shareholder for a co-op in Lafayette Park. After that horrendous experience I had gone through at Mapletree Apartments, this was like a breath of fresh air.

This is my first experience with investing in property, so all of the steps it took to get here and the things I learned along the way were and still are totally new to me. Luckily, I had some knowledgeable people by my side to walk me through things and answer all of my questions.

Around 3 a.m. while I was in bed, my leg started itching uncontrollably. I thought a mosquito had gotten me or that I was allergic to my new comforter, but something told me to get up to take a look at my skin. My entire right leg, literally from the top of my thigh to my ankle, was red, hot, swollen and covered in hives. I started ripping my sheets off of my bed and when I was about to take off one of my pillowcases, I saw a bug crawling around trying to get away. “Oh no,” I said to myself. It was a bed bug.