Good morning Dinks. I am 32 years old, I have been in a relationship with my boyfriend for 13 years, we both have full time jobs and we still rent our apartment. Now that the marriage questions and the questions about when we are going to have kids have worn off the one thing that all of our friends, family and coworkers want to know is why don’t we buy a house?
The answer to that question is very simple; we are irresponsible and total cowards. My boyfriend and I still rent an apartment, but it’s not from the lack of trying to buy a house. We have actually made two offers on two different condos and we also even reserved a condo unit once from developer for a new condo construction. However, all three times my boyfriend and I pulled out of our purchase agreements because we just couldn’t make the leap and buy a house.
Rental living is carefree living and I love it
Even though my boyfriend and I are both in our 30s we still live like we are students…just on a better budget. It’s no secret that I have had my share of financial struggles in the past, but I have overcome them and definitely learned from my mistakes. I no longer spend money carelessly, but I do spend money on personal items, home furnishings and life experiences that are worth the cost. That is my secret to achieving financial freedom and personal happiness – when I spend money I always make sure that the cost is worth it.
Renting an apartment is completely care free, if my towel bar breaks or my bathroom sink clogs all I have to do is call the rental office and they will send over the superintendent to fix any problem. This, in my opinion, is a convenience that is worth the cost of renting an apartment.
Maybe it’s time to grow up and buy a house
My parents seem to think that my boyfriend Nick and I haven’t bought a house because we are both suffering from the Peter Pan syndrome. Maybe that is true, and if it is, what’s wrong with not wanting the responsibility of paying a mortgage, paying utilities and having to deal with all of the extra responsibilities (and costs) that come with owning a home.
Buying a big home means that we will just have more shelves to dust and more floors to sweep. I don’t have a lot of free time as it is, so spending the little time that I have cleaning a big home is not appealing to me at all.
Learning from my past financial mistakes
I purchased my car before I was ready to deal with the monthly payments and all of the extra expenses that come with owning a car such as the insurance premiums, parking costs and the price of gas. Maybe I am afraid to buy a house because I fear that the same thing will happen again. I have always paid one monthly bill for my housing in the form of rent and I am not sure if I am ready to juggle mortgage payments, condo fees and heating costs into my monthly budget. If I can’t handle the financial responsibility of buying a home I can’t just sell it like I did with my car, the financial damage could create a whole new financial mess for me and I am just not ready for that.
Photo by Calgary Reviews
Kristina Tahnyak
Tahnya is a Certified Financial Planner and former Investment Advisor turned marketing and communications professional She holds a degree from Concordia University, is debt free and currently works in the field of digital marketing.
If you’re not ready, you’re not ready, plain and simple really, although owning a house isn;t as big a deal as you might think.
My house is quite old, but the maintenance costs are far lower than my car, mainly because there are relatively few moving parts! I do regret not being able to up sticks and go elsewhere whenever I want though.
Hah you making buying a home so scary!!!
We are still renting and love the carefree nature it comes with it. But living in an apartment means we live in really close quarters with other people. I’m tired of barking dogs and loud people upstairs and outside.
Our lease is up in a less than a year, and we will be purchasing a humble home then.
I don’t necessarily think anyone NEEDS to own a house – especially not as a rite of growing up. There are good reasons to own and good reasons to rent.
I personally like owning because I like having control over my home. Yes, I’m responsible if something breaks, but I’m also able to make changes. I stained my stair railing this past weekend – from the ugly builder grade orange oak to a lovely rich mahogany. No asking for permission, no running the color past the landlord, no fuss or hassle. If I don’t like it I can change it again. I’ve painted my bedroom 3 times in the last 7 years. I’ve replaced ugly plastic light switch plates with pretty wooden ones. Etc.
Some people don’t care if they have that level of freedom or control, but I would say that even if you continue renting, look into learning how to handle things like leaks and clogs w/out calling maintenance. It saves in time and stress in the long run, IMO. And I found that landlords liked me a lot more when I handled little things myself and left calling them for the big stuff.
I honestly don’t know why I can’t just man up and buy a house. It’s like there is a greater force telling me not to do it. So I am going to take that as a sign to keep renting. I definitely don’t want to end up buying a home and then freezing to death because I can’t figure out how to fix the heat. Thanks for reading everyone.
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