It's Going to Be a Long Spring for This First Time Home Owner
a little house surrounded by flowers and weeds

Lessons From a First-Time Home Buyer: It’s Going to Be a Long Spring

I know that Spring is supposed to be an exciting and beautiful time. Yet, I find that, more and more, it’s the season I dread the most. That’s partially because of what the pollen and other airborne particles do to my allergies — but also because of how the Spring season affects me as a homeowner.

So why am I so down on this blooming season? Here are a few key reasons.

3 Reasons Why I Hate the Springtime as a Homeowner

Storms

I’ve talked before about how severe weather freaks me out — and how high winds and other elements have already wreaked some havoc on our home. That’s why I’ve been a bit stressed this week as severe weather chances have begun to pop up, with more on the way.

Even when there’s not a threat of high winds, hail, or tornadoes, just the rain itself can do a number on our home. Lately, when it’s rained a lot, we’ve had a mysterious drip appear in our living room (one more issue to add to the “probably should get fixed at some point when we have money” list). As for the outside, it seems to be particularly muddy these days, which I blame on the long-lasting snow we had a few weeks ago. That means each time we take the dog out, we end up having to clean the floors as well. Lastly, heavy rains also get us thinking about the efficiency of our gutter system and whether we might be causing damage to our foundation. Oh, the joys of homeownership, eh?

Lawn Maintenance

Between all of the rain and the warmer temperatures, surely our lawn will be growing in soon. And once it does, it grows remarkably quickly. That means that, within the next couple of weekends or so, it will likely be time to bust out the lawnmower once again. Sigh.

On top of that, it seems that each Spring graces us with a different type of weed or other annoying species that manages to grow even faster and more aggressively than the grass itself! At least we don’t have a homeowners’ association to get on our case about how bad our lawn looks, but it’s no fun nonetheless.

Critters

I’ll admit that I do love watching squirrels play in our backyard, running up and down our tree and along the fence. Similarly, even if I find their droppings annoying, the bunny rabbits that hop around back there are also great. What’s less great are the damn birds.

To be clear, the birds wouldn’t be so bad if they kept to the spaces they belong, like the aforementioned tree. Instead, they’ve started trying to come closer. Occasionally, I can hear them on my roof, which can’t be good. Worst of all, though, is that some have taken to attacking our chimney and managed to punch a couple of holes in the wood. I’m honestly baffled by the progress they’ve made and can only imagine how much it will cost to find a solution.

The moral of the story is that life is not Snow White, and not all critters are as sweet and cute as they may seem.


Springtime should be great. There’s warmer weather, prettier skies, and everything just feels more alive. Alas, for me, Spring also comes with a lot of headaches (sometimes literally) that have only grown worse since I became a homeowner.

Of course, while this time of year has proven challenging for us and our house, it hasn’t been all bad. So, while stuffed-up, waterlogged, tired-of-thunder me may be a bit bitter right now, I’ll still try to focus on all the positive aspects of homeownership… when I’m not shooing away birds.

Author

Kyle Burbank

Head Writer ~ Fioney
Kyle is the head writer for Fioney. He is a personal finance nerd, constantly looking for new apps and services to test and incorporate into his own financial game plan. In addition to his role at Fioney, he's written for other publications including Born2Invest, Lifehack, and Laughing Place, as well as his own site Money@30. He also creates personal finance and travel-related videos for Fioney's YouTube channel, which has garnered more than 2 million views. Currently, Kyle resides in Springfield, Missouri with his wife of 10 years. Together, they enjoy traveling (including visiting Disney Parks around the world), dining, and playing with their dog Rigby.

Other Articles by Kyle Burbank

Barnes & Noble store

Barclays and Barnes & Noble Renew Credit Card Partnership

Two decades after forming their credit card partnership, Barclays and Barnes & Noble have reached a deal to extend it once again. About the Barclays-Barnes & Noble Co-Branded Program and Extension: Today, Barclays US Consumer Bank and the popular book retailer Barnes & Noble announced an extension of their credit card partnership. Formed in 2026, this agreement was last renewed in 2022. The terms of this extension were not shared....

Robinhood App Review: Why I'm Still a Fan (Overall)

Robinhood has proven to be an extremely easy way to start buying stocks without having to pay commissions or fees. Furthermore, as I do start to learn the ropes and am ready to take my portfolio to the next level, it's nice to know that Robinhood continues to increase their offerings.
Reset logo and card

Embedded Earned Wage Access Platform Reset Raises $6 Million

A FinTech that allows credit unions and smaller banks to offer earned wage access to customers has raised a new investment round. About Reset and Its Latest Round: This week, Reset revealed that it had raised $6 million in funding. The seed round included participation from Georgia's Own Credit Union, InTouch Credit Union, Chartway Credit Union, VyStar Credit Union, and One Washington Financial as well as Curql, Navari, and the...
The "Email" field is empty, you must enter some text to proceed.The text you entered in the "Email" field appears to be invalid, please edit it and try again
Get the Latest News Delivered to Your Inbox

2025 SoFi Checking and Savings Review

 Ever since I started taking an interest in the FinTech sector, one company whose name I’ve seen pop up over and over again is SoFi. That was later sent into overdrive as the company has not only become a household name thanks to its stadium naming rights deal but also because of the company’s continued product expansions. The most interesting development in my mind is SoFi’s acquisition of Golden Pacific...
Travelers with two Best Western Credit Cards

Best Western Debuts Two New Rewards Credit Cards

After pausing applications for their previous rewards card, the hotel chain Best Western has unveiled a new pair of rewards credit cards with a new issuer. About the Best Western cards: Best Western is partnering with First Bank & Trust and Mercury Financial to introduce two new co-branded credit cards. First up is the no-annual-fee Best Western Rewards Visa Signature Card. With this card, customers can 4x points on Best...
Marriott Bonvoy card and a woman on vacation

Marriott Bonvoy Bold Card Launches Travel Contest

Chase and Marriott Bonoy have unveiled a special contest while continuing to offer its best-ever welcome bonus. About the welcome bonus and Bold Chat Court Contest: Marriott Bonvoy and Chase have launched a special opportunity called the Bold Chat Court contest. As part of this contest, 10 lucky travelers will be awarded 500,000 Marriott Bonvoy points (for a total of 5 million) as well as $5,000. For this contest, the...
Bilt and All Reward logos

Bilt Adds 2 New Transfer Partners Including First 3:2 Transfer Rate

Bilt is once again expanding its travel transfer rewards program — and is even breaking the mold with one new partner. About the new additions to Bilt: This week, Bilt launched partnerships with two more travel brands: TAP Air Portugal and Accor. As a result, Bilt members will now be able to transfer their points to Miles&Go and ALL Reward, respectively. In total, Bilt now has 18 transfer partners including 13...
PayPal Debit Card app

PayPal Debit Card Review: Earn Stackable 5% Cash Back

In recent weeks, PayPal debuted an updated debit card product (perhaps you've seen the incessant Will Ferrell commercials for it during football games?). With the launch of this card, the company known for online payments is encouraging customers to pay with them anywhere. To encourage such behavior, the debit card allows cardholders to earn 5% cashback — although, as you can imagine, there are some important restrictions on that. So,...