My First...

There is something special about a 'first'... your first date, a first kiss, a babies first steps. All an occasion for joy and celebration. As agents, we are lucky enough to be a part of a huge 'first' for several of our clients.. their first home! 

Each month we will sit down with someone near and dear to chat about a few of their 'firsts'. This month we chatted with the wonderful Rachel Houck!

What is your first memory of 'home' as a kid?

My first memory of home would probably be when I was three years old and my family was moving to another town. On the day we were leaving, my neighbor friend came over to give me a toy horse. Though I couldn’t verbalize it, I knew that something big was happening. We had roots at that home and her gift was symbolic of a shift in seasons. Several years later my family moved back to that same house and my friend and I were able to pick up right where we left off, continuing a friendship that has extended into adulthood. From that first memory, I learned that home extends past a physical building to include your neighbors and community.

When was your first time moving out of your parent's home?

When I was 19, my sister and two friends rented a house from my grandparents. The rent was cheap, with the caveat that we would try to fix the house up and leave it nicer than when we found it. Granted, we really didn’t know what we were doing, but we tried to keep that promise and had a ton of fun doing it! It was all of our first times living on our own, and we subsisted on frozen lasagna and bagged salad, but during our time there we all grew a ton and shared some of my favorite memories!

When was your first big trip away from home?

During the second semester of my freshman year at college, I studied abroad in Spain. I grew up in a small town, went to an even smaller high school, and hadn’t experienced much outside of the bubble this created. So studying abroad was life changing for me! I loved the friends I was making, the places I was traveling to, and the new cultures I was encountering. But I was also in an environment where everything was different, and there were growing pains in that. It was the first time that I defined who I was by choice, not just by environment. But though I decided for myself who I wanted to be, I realized that each of my homes had undeniably shaped me - and I became thankful for that.

What is your dream First Home?

My dream home is one with a big front porch, character for days, some fruit trees, and plenty of space for family and friends. And one day if i’m very lucky...a refrigerator that makes ice. :)