Not sure if this is just ingrained "American Dream" mentality but I want to get away from landlords and buy my own house. Partly this is so I can have my own space to work on my own projects, be messy, grow weed, walk around naked, etc. Lately this is looking like a real possibility since I've paid off my college debt and started saving money for a down payment. I'm also expecting house prices to fall in the next year as the economy implodes.

Despite all that, housing is still really expensive where I live and I probably wouldn't be able to afford a house without a partner or a roommate paying part of the mortgage. My romantic prospects aren't looking too good and I really don't want to be a landlord. And I don't know how I would feel buying a foreclosure. Not to mention I'd be locked into a 30 year mortgage that won't be paid off until after climate change has forced us all to migrate to Nunavut.

Tell me chapos, what's the moral thing to do here? Should I keep renting? Buy a house and try to be an "ethical" landlord? Move in with the next woman I meet after the 2nd date? Go join a commune/cult?

    • discontinuuity [he/him]
      ·
      4 years ago

      I could afford a mortgage by myself but it would be over 60% of my income. Right now I'm paying about 25% of my budget in rent, with a roommate. There's pretty much zero one-bedroom houses or condos in my city, so I could either have an extra bedroom for guests or rent it.

      I'm talking 90 minutes of driving. There's some public transit in my city but it doesn't reach the exurbs where houses are cheaper. If it was 60 minutes on a train I'd be happy to commute that distance.

      Not saying you're wrong about the ethical aspects tho