Hear, hear. It truly is a "you'll know it when you see it" thing. But, I saw the house I wanted for the rest of my life and had it. What happened? It went by the wayside with a divorce. I would rely on a partner before I would rely on anything material, hands down.
So all in all, the best you can hope for is to be sure in yourself. If that happens, the other stuff is easy to recognize and will fall into place, eventually. :)
I've gotten the sense that, at this point in your life, you're too much of a free spirit to settle down. It's also pretty obvious that you like living in the middle of a big city, which is more conducive to apartment dwelling. Anything you might want to buy (a condo) would probably be way too expensive.
Half a year does seem too soon to buy a house together. I've always been a fan of living together for a year before buying together. But I don't know them and they didn't ask me. (Fools.)
And really, buying real estate is not as terrifying as you might think. But, as miket61 said, you should only do it if you intend to stay put for 3-5 years.
And I'm sitting here considering selling everything out from underneath me - my furniture, everything. I miss the days when I could just pick up and leave if I wanted to without having to arrange for movers, etc.
I do not want to buy a house. I don't want to be "stuck" in one place.
If I decide to move, I don't want to go through the hassle of selling a house. Especially in this market. And rent it out? That's out of the question for me.
A lot of guys I have dated seem to go limp when they find out I don't own my own home. I think they think its a sign of financial instability. I don't want a mortgage, and I can barely afford a decent house without living in Chattanooga on my salary. I'm not about to weighed down with a huge mortgage where I can't afford to travel, go out, buy furniture or make my car payments without racking up $30K in credit card debt.
I have to admit, I have a lot of skepticism that housing prices can keep increasing infinitely as they seem to be doing. I know there's been a dip somewhat in the last few months, but it's done nothing to correct the 100% increase that occurred over the last decade versus the previous 100 years.
I'm also not sure why not owning a house would be a bad thing for a potential new relationship. Frankly, if I were to move in with a guy I was seeing very seriously, I'd expect that, if they owned a house, they'd better be ready to sell it anyway, because I'm all about crafting a space that's "ours," not "his."
Anyone who thinks he's got it all figured out by 22 or 30 has a great deal to learn. If by 50 you've figured out that figuring it out is impossible, you're probably ahead of the game, I reckon.
That said, real estate, depending on the market, can be an important part of your portfolio and retirement plan. If you move, you can always rent it until it makes more sense to sell it.
Of course, I live in the same exurb as your parents (sometimes it makes me weep to acknowledge that), and I don't own any property at all. It's not a choice about romanticism so much as about financial priorities.
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There are days I wonder if I'll be 50 and still trying to figure it all out.
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So all in all, the best you can hope for is to be sure in yourself. If that happens, the other stuff is easy to recognize and will fall into place, eventually. :)
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Half a year does seem too soon to buy a house together. I've always been a fan of living together for a year before buying together. But I don't know them and they didn't ask me. (Fools.)
And really, buying real estate is not as terrifying as you might think. But, as miket61 said, you should only do it if you intend to stay put for 3-5 years.
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I do not want to buy a house. I don't want to be "stuck" in one place.
If I decide to move, I don't want to go through the hassle of selling a house. Especially in this market. And rent it out? That's out of the question for me.
A lot of guys I have dated seem to go limp when they find out I don't own my own home. I think they think its a sign of financial instability. I don't want a mortgage, and I can barely afford a decent house without living in Chattanooga on my salary. I'm not about to weighed down with a huge mortgage where I can't afford to travel, go out, buy furniture or make my car payments without racking up $30K in credit card debt.
Eh.
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I'm also not sure why not owning a house would be a bad thing for a potential new relationship. Frankly, if I were to move in with a guy I was seeing very seriously, I'd expect that, if they owned a house, they'd better be ready to sell it anyway, because I'm all about crafting a space that's "ours," not "his."
Reply
That said, real estate, depending on the market, can be an important part of your portfolio and retirement plan. If you move, you can always rent it until it makes more sense to sell it.
Of course, I live in the same exurb as your parents (sometimes it makes me weep to acknowledge that), and I don't own any property at all. It's not a choice about romanticism so much as about financial priorities.
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