It’s nice being a new homeowner, but it’s also daunting to know that I’m stuck with this mortgage for another 15 years at bare minimum. I secured a fixed rate mortgage, but it wasn’t easy. A lot of lenders try to swoon you with a low variable rate mortgage, but then the rate increases more and more as time goes on. At a certain point it’s no longer financially viable to keep paying the cost on the home, leading many to sell before they pay off the debt. Since I found such a great house for such a great price, I wanted to get a good mortgage that I intended to pay in full with my own means. This is the first time I am actually living in a multi-story house. There’s a basement, ground floor, and second floor above. At the very top is a large attic that I’ve considered furnishing someday, but there’s no definite decision on that. On the other hand, I am moving forward with adding heating and cooling to the basement to compliment the upper floors. This means buying two heat pumps, although I should ideally have a third for the second floor. Right now my plan is to use a heat pump in the basement and a second heat pump for the ground floor and upper floor, in part because I rarely occupy both at the same time. If I had a full family in this house, it would be a different story altogether. The HVAC companies in Orland Park, IL that I’ve spoken to have said that I can get a discount on heat pumps by getting two at the same time.