Owning a home is awesome! Except when you realize there aren't elves that magically appear to fix your hot water heater. Before you buy that dream house, here are a few reminders about the ups and downs of being a homeowner.

PRO: No more sharing a wall with loud neighbors.
CON: Fighting with the neighbors about who's going to mow the 8-inch strip of grass between your houses.

PRO: You can paint your walls any color you want.
CON: Now you've got 16 rooms to paint and a wife who can't decide on a color.

PRO: There's more space for your kids to play.
CON: And more rooms for them to leave their crap lying around.

PRO: Your den is big enough for a huge flat screen TV.
CON: Thieves LOVE flat screen TVs.

PRO: You can decorate the outside of your house for the holidays.
CON: You get suckered into a Christmas light competition with your neighbors and rack up a $1000 power bill.

PRO: You've got a whole new community of friendly neighbors.
CON: They need a new chairperson for the block party and you're fresh meat.

PRO: You have room in the garage for some sweet new power tools.
CON: You'll be spending most of your Saturdays figuring out which neighbor borrowed your sweet new power tools.

PRO: No more long walks to the dumpster to take out the trash.
CON: Uptight neighbors who leave nasty notes in your mailbox if you leave your garbage can on the street for more than 24 hours.

PRO: You can get a fenced yard for your dog -- no more walks!
CON: You have to fork over $5000 for the custom cedar privacy fence that your HOA requires.

PRO: Everything is yours!
CON: And everything is your responsibility.