Do any of you guys own a house? Housing stock is up 10% in the United States since last January and I'm currently thinking about purchasing one. Trouble is, my job is located way out in the suburbs (almost exurbs) where there's nothing to do. If I look for a house closer in, prices/taxes go way up beyond my means. Most stuff I like to do occurs downtown, which would be a 45 min (1.5 hours during traffic hours) from the suburbs where I'm looking at houses. The houses I'm looking at are desirable, appreciate in value, and tend to be re-sellable very fast. I'm approaching it as an investment I could make some money off of within a few years and be able sell quickly if I ever wanted to move. Still, the surrounding neighborhoods are about as bland as a cold bowl of oatmeal. I can literally go for weeks out here without seeing any attractive single girls. Living in the suburbs in my city is kind of death to your social life, a lot of people who live in the city have kind of this snobby "why do you live out in the suburbs" attitude around here if you're single.
I'm at a crossroads in life, I can't justify renting apartments anymore and I think Condos/Townhomes aren't really worth it either. Condos are just sort of glorified apartments and I rarely hear of anyone making money off of them. All of the job sites in my field of work are located way out in the suburbs/exurbs. I enjoy the convenience of the suburbs and access to the countryside, but my city is so large scale the commutes into downtown for the social life can be nightmarish. I'm not married, but feel the conflicting interests of wanting to save money, make investments, etc. Does anyone else feel this way?
I'm thinking I could just accept living in the burbs and suck up the longer commutes to the hot spots I like to frequent (bars, salsa clubs, concerts, sports events), and get myself locked into a good mortgage that will appreciate and help me to gain resources. If my social life takes a hit, I'm perhaps at an age where I'm willing to have less immediate social capital and more resources to travel more. I'm currently dating a woman from another country anyways. I'd be interested in international job opportunities, then maybe I could rent out my house in the States and get really into an immediate location/lifestyle that I'd love to live.
Thoughts??
I'm at a crossroads in life, I can't justify renting apartments anymore and I think Condos/Townhomes aren't really worth it either. Condos are just sort of glorified apartments and I rarely hear of anyone making money off of them. All of the job sites in my field of work are located way out in the suburbs/exurbs. I enjoy the convenience of the suburbs and access to the countryside, but my city is so large scale the commutes into downtown for the social life can be nightmarish. I'm not married, but feel the conflicting interests of wanting to save money, make investments, etc. Does anyone else feel this way?
I'm thinking I could just accept living in the burbs and suck up the longer commutes to the hot spots I like to frequent (bars, salsa clubs, concerts, sports events), and get myself locked into a good mortgage that will appreciate and help me to gain resources. If my social life takes a hit, I'm perhaps at an age where I'm willing to have less immediate social capital and more resources to travel more. I'm currently dating a woman from another country anyways. I'd be interested in international job opportunities, then maybe I could rent out my house in the States and get really into an immediate location/lifestyle that I'd love to live.
Thoughts??