Just yesterday, I wrote about the hazards of home ownership. This morning, I walked into my house and heard the sound of water filling the hot water heater in the basement. I thought it odd because I'd been away from home, so the tank should have been full. As I went to open the door to the basement, a sick, ominous feeling grew in the pit of my stomach. When I turned on the lights, I saw a dirty swimming pool at the bottom of the stairs. Stupidly, I ran down the stairs and started wading through the water. Later, I was informed that you're never supposed to step into a flooded room when the electricity is on. You could get electrocuted (of course). Luckily, as the plumber later told me, a few inches and a couple of hours may have saved me from death by ignorance. There was also gas leakage from the boiler when the water extinguished the pilot light, so who knows what could have happened with that combination.
Water extraction came to $283, but only because the plumber took pity on me, and the new water heater with installation will come to $1,035. This incident illustrates my point that home ownership is not all it's cracked up to be. I wish I could make this point more zealously, but right now, so soon after my close call with true disaster, I'm just grateful to be alive.
We're having the same kind of luck, the luck of the stupid? I once stepped in my flooded high tech tent, with several extension cords submerged. I realized what I was doing as I stood barefoot in the water, wondering why I was still alive. Fortunately, the breaker had tripped earlier.
Recently I thought about why people with high credit scores have fewer claims. I remembered how I had several small claims during El Nino in the 90s (about $1,000 or less) and they promptly raised my premium by several hundred/year. Rich people know that and don't file small claims, they save a lot more in premiums in the long time.
So, I'm with you, it takes quite a bit of money and time to own a home, and insurance isn't the answer.
Posted by: Christine at August 29, 2004 05:28 AM