and i'm not really feeling it.
honestly, i have no urge to buy a house, especially in the bay area. if i had my way (and no ties to the bay) i would be living back in long beach in a cute little one bedroom apartment by the beach. and that would make me happy.
but all i've been hearing lately is "i think we need to invest in a house. why pay rent when it's comparable to a mortgage? i think we can qualify for a loan! i'd love to live in (insert city here) or (another city) or (yet another city). we really need to go and find out if we can qualify. you don't have any debts other than credit cards, right?"
of course, with this overload, i go into shut down mode. i get a bit defensive and don't want to be included in the conversation. honestly, it freaks me out and then i begin to overthink things.
- why does he suddenly want to buy a house?
- i don't want to live in the bay area forever. what if we have to sell?
- what if i change my job or get so frustrated i have to just quit?
- what if something happens with us and "we" don't last?
- is this my subconscious way of letting myself know that i am feeling uncertain about our relationship?
- why do i not want to just leap into this with both feet?
- what is wrong with me?
- am i not ready to grow up?
- lakewood, ca
- long beach, ca
- la habra, ca
- signal hill, ca
- fountain valley, ca
- hillsborough, ca
- burlingame, ca
- san jose, ca
- santa clara, ca
- sunnyvale, ca
- cupertino, ca
argh, i dunno. this post could ramble on in 5 different directions if i kept typing. we'll see what evolves.
2 comments:
You need to be 150% you want to buy a house and buy one with Latifah. The good news is if you did, you would qualify for first time buyers tax credit, you could probably make it retroactive for 2009 even and use that for the downpayment. If you did a FHA loan you'd need 3% down and probably closing costs (10-13k). You can find sellers who will pay the closing costs and you can make that a sticking point (along with a fridge, washer, dryer, etc.) Start looking, there's nothing wrong with window shopping. Start by doing the open house thing. Foreclosures are still the biggest draw out there, but unless you have cash, they're pretty much a no go for the average person. Short sales are also not much of a promise as the bank is usually still working with the seller to try and help them. They also don't wiggle as much on short sales.
I say show him this blog post, then tell him you need time to let the idea just sit in your subconscious for a while. See how it feels after you've gotten used to it. If you still feel resistant after a few months, don't go into it. It's WAY too big of a commitment - financially, mentally, emotionally, and time-wise - if you don't REALLY want it. Plus, as we have seen with the recent bursting bubble, houses are not investments. Houses are places to live. For a LONG time.
People always say renting is throwing your money away. I don't agree at all. When you rent you don't have to worry about the grounds, the pipes, termites, damage, and countless other things...those are all the responsibility of the owner. Sure, as the owner you OWN it. But you have all the money and time-consuming issues that come with that. If it's worth it to you, great. Do it. If it isn't worth it to you - at least not right now - then there's no reason to get into it.
Post a Comment