Why Living in a Flood Zone Could Affect Your Home Loan
You fall in love with a house. Maybe it’s the big porch. The wraparound windows. The walkable neighborhood that reminds you of slower Saturdays and neighborly chats.
It’s the kind of thing that can send a chill down your spine: a debt you thought was long dead—paid off, written off, or simply forgotten—comes back to life. A collector calls. A letter shows up. The tone is urgent, the numbers look familiar, and you're left wondering, Wait… do I still owe this?
A few years ago, I sat at my kitchen table with a coffee mug and a spreadsheet that felt more like a puzzle from hell. I wasn’t living extravagantly. Rent, groceries, utilities, car insurance—it was all necessary. At least, that’s what I told myself. Still, my budget was bleeding, and trimming the “obvious” extras like streaming services or takeout wasn’t going to fix it.
If there’s one thing motherhood and managing a career have taught me, it’s that my time is never just mine. It’s constantly on loan—to my son’s school schedule, to deadlines, to the mysterious “urgent” laundry pile that seems to multiply when I look away.