Image from Kevin Turcios on unsplash.com.
This question irked me in ways that made me search the hallways of my soul. Then, I came back to reality.
“Of course. I’ve done the math and I can no longer rent an apartment AND keep up my savings/investments and expect to come out in a good place financially, say, 10 years from now. Ten years ago in Columbus, it made sense. Not now.”
I have a few friends who challenge me in all of the best ways…and get on my last nerve…ya know, that one you’ve been saving for a rainy day. THAT NERVE. When this inquiry came up, it made me think long and hard about what I want. Financial freedom. Wealth-building. Being the auntie on the block. Hosting cookouts and epic sleepovers. Those types of things. So yes, friend, yes I still want to buy a house.
As I’ve spoken with my peers about their desires, or the lack of desire, for homeownership, I hear similar things. While many of us want a house so that we have more space for our growing families, most of us have just found that renting just doesn’t make sense for us in this current economy. Several friends intend to continue renting due to struggles with saving for a downpayment, high student loan debt, low wages in our current jobs and careers, medical debt, trying to live an Instagram-worthy travel-life, or a variety of other reasons.
To be honest, I didn’t want to become a homeowner. I LOVE being a renter. The amenities, the not having to mow the lawn, being able to call someone else to fix a problem inside the apartment (i.e. “Aye bruh, your toilet ain’t working right. Might wanna come fix this before there’s a larger issue.”) *Sigh* The joy.
At the price tag of what my rent increase was going to be, I’ll gladly start fixing my own toilet. Sheesh.
As I’ve been sleeping on sofas and in guest bedrooms, I’ve started reading more news articles about the current housing crisis for people like me. Stories that more closely mimic my own and not what I’ve seen on shows like House Hunters or Fixer Upper. I’ve learned about downpayment assistance, support groups, blogs, YouTube videos, Facebook groups, all geared toward education on this.
I’ve been so fascinated by the data as a community organizer and victim of the housing shortage… so much so that I decided to start a podcast on the topic. It will likely be a podcast with one season of 8-10 episodes (I’ve never hosted my own podcast so I’m dabbling at this point). I decided to call it “Houseless: Auntie on the Air Mattress.”
I’ll try to update this post with the link once the first episode is ready.
This is all part of the journey towards #home.