Buying a house in the United States
This article on US real estate makes me wish I could afford a house in Hilton Head. Or maybe Arizona.
Leaving aside the question of whether I could ever move to the United States (pro: I could stream TV shows from NBC.com! con: your politics, health care system, and 3 months of maternity leave confuse me terribly), I have to ask myself whether it's practical or even responsible to move so far from home, leave my job, my family -- for what? A house, a condo that I don't really need? To own property?
And it's not like I'm buying a second home, with the resources to maintain both properties. I have some money squirreled away, but I can't imagine my savings lasting very long with mortgage payments and property taxes. I have no real career, no intention or hope of advancing up the corporate ladder. My single paycheque doesn't seem sufficient to pay rent and feed myself in Toronto, let alone to purchase a starter home in another country.
But oh, I'm tempted. It's nice to dream.
Leaving aside the question of whether I could ever move to the United States (pro: I could stream TV shows from NBC.com! con: your politics, health care system, and 3 months of maternity leave confuse me terribly), I have to ask myself whether it's practical or even responsible to move so far from home, leave my job, my family -- for what? A house, a condo that I don't really need? To own property?
And it's not like I'm buying a second home, with the resources to maintain both properties. I have some money squirreled away, but I can't imagine my savings lasting very long with mortgage payments and property taxes. I have no real career, no intention or hope of advancing up the corporate ladder. My single paycheque doesn't seem sufficient to pay rent and feed myself in Toronto, let alone to purchase a starter home in another country.
But oh, I'm tempted. It's nice to dream.