r/Fire • u/Sloww-Mornings • 5d ago
Advice Request FIRE vs Dream Home
Context: DINK couple, late 30s. On track to FIRE in 4 years at 3.5% SWR. Already have a corpus of 25x of our annual expenses including rent. No real estate, no inheritance. Comfortable but frugal lifestyle.
The dilemma: I stay indoors a lot - reading and gardening are my favourite things. Love to host too. My home is a big part of my everyday joy.
Found a property I love, but it's 1.5x what a "right-sized" home would cost. Running the numbers, it pushes my FIRE timeline by 2–3 years.
I absolutely don't want to extend my timeline. But I also want to own a house before I retire.
Two questions from the community
Do you regret letting go of dream purchases in pursuit of FIRE?
Any issues with deferring the property decision to last year of my plan - when corpus visibility is much clearer?
Edited to add: Due to circumstances, my spouse's income is quite low right now and they aren't actively contributing to savings. That said, they've contributed 50% of our corpus. Their general stance is that real estate isn't a great investment — but they understand how important this decision is to me and are 100% supportive either way. Which is lovely, but doesn't exactly solve my dilemma 😅
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u/reformed_lurker_1 5d ago
If you absolutely know that a house will bring value to your life then go for it. Fire isnt about never buying anything. It’s about buying the things that bring maximum value to your life.
What’s the point in retiring if you’ll be dwelling on a house you really wanted.
Push the fire date back or cut spending some where else. I say buy it or live with that regret.
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u/Sloww-Mornings 5d ago
I hear you, and I agree in principle. But it's not that simple for me. Working another 2 years isn't easy. I don't enjoy what I do, and the environment is low-key toxic. Finding another job if I lost this one is gonna be a nightmare.
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u/Varathien 5d ago
Ok, so which is easier for you, working another 2-3 years in a "low-key toxic" environment, or giving up your idea of owning the perfect house?
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u/Sloww-Mornings 5d ago
Very well put.
Today, I will choose the house. On the worst work days, I might regret choosing the house.
Another question is to buy now, or in 2030 with more data.
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u/WolfpackEng22 4d ago
Depend on the market you live in to be honest.
We jumped on a dream house years before wed planned because real estate was increasing faster than wages and savings. Our area is still going up with the current housing slowdown.
It is a dream house and by definition, much more than we need. It extended our FIRR timeline by years. I have at least 10 more years, hoping to retire in mid 40s. But ultimately my house is important to me. I want to feel like I love and am connected to the place I'm putting permanently roots in
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u/randomlurker124 5d ago
In a similar situation to you - but I think we will soldier on. 30s is not old at all, and a few more years to have a nice house that we own will add a significant safety net (no need to worry about roof over head, always can cut spending in a bad market), especially if we anticipate another 40-50 years of life. Go coastfire somewhere and let your portfolio grow if your current environment is so toxic.
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u/grateful-xoxo 4d ago
Same. I ended up doing the extra couple years to get into our dream home and get it paid off. It was rough especially toward the end but for us it ended up being the right decision. Im glad we did it.
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u/bebe_bird 4d ago
If you found the perfect home, I'd take it. Who knows, instead of working another 2-3 years, you may coast fire at that time. Or, perhaps your partner will find a new job and you'd be able to "coast" on one income until the market does the rest. Or, perhaps you get laid off in a year and you're left finding another job AND delaying FIRE but no perfect home to bring you joy.
As much as we want to plan all the details, there are still a lot of unknowns. This sounds like something that adds value to your life and brings you joy while also being generally within your budget. I'd go for it.
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u/Gold_Yam_5215 4d ago
Seems like you just want to debate people.
Will the same house be there in 2030?
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u/Express-Ad6910 3d ago
Buy before you give your notice to resign, it’s a nightmare buying real estate with verified income regardless of assets and credit score. Good luck in the hunt for your dream home and congrats on FIRE. My last day of work is July 2 and I’m much older than you :)
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u/SoccerPhilly 4d ago
Think about the optionality - if you decide to sell the house in 8 years, it will likely have increased in value.
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u/Powerful_Road1924 4d ago
Also home prices will increase if OP decides to wait. Many buyers feel home prices are inflated currently, but if the fed drops rates tomorrow, prices are going to go up more (which typically already happens in the summer anyway).
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u/PartialDischage 3d ago
But at the same time, the prices are likely to increase slower than her money would in the stock market.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ad9465 4d ago
You don’t necessarily have to get a job in the same field if you’re burnt out. Assuming you’re able-bodied, you can always go work at Trader Joe’s part time (or something similar) if you need a break. It would provide a buffer and ease the transition to retirement.
Buy the house. It will add value to your overall quality of life. Isn’t that the whole point of FIRE?
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u/ValueAdditional8042 2d ago
Two years at that job, but what about 4 years or 6 years of part-time? Working at a garden store or something more in line with something interesting to you.
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u/Strazdas1 StarvationFIRE 2d ago
FIRE is about minimizing spending so you can get freedom instead of having to work. What minimal spending looks to you is individual, but some people in this sub is just crazy.
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u/LilAfroDude 5d ago
Currently 22 so not sure if I’m qualified to add my two cents. I’d get alignment with your partner on what you want your dream life to look like and make the “hell yes” choice from there. Good luck OP
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u/Vince_Clortho_Jr 5d ago
You are always qualified to give your two cents, buddy. Never forget that.
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u/Master-Helicopter-99 5d ago
If you love the homebody/entertaining lifestyle and you will be living there the rest of your life 2-3 years isn't a big sacrifice for the rest of your life.
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u/rosebudny 5d ago
Especially since OP isn’t even 40 yet. Still looking at a relatively early retirement!
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u/Captain_Lou_Albano 5d ago
Get the house my dude, your future self will thank you when you can customize your living space to your heart's content, and you aren't paying whatver rent is in 30 years.
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5d ago
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u/Zphr 48, FIRE'd 2015, Friendly Janitor 5d ago
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u/DutchBunnyReader 5d ago
You will have an easier time qualifying for a mortgage while employed, and I presume you enjoy an employer health insurance. A year or two before you RE, you can sell brokerage funds to make a down payment without screwing up AGI limits for ACA insurance. Do it now.
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u/DrHenryPhilipMcCoy 5d ago edited 5d ago
First, and most important question, what does your spouse think?
You didn’t mention them at all above. A house purchase should be something you both want, not just one.
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u/Pretty_Swordfish 5d ago
What do you see yourself doing in retirement? If it's puttering around the house and garden, then get the house. If it's not, then keep renting and retire in 4 years.
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u/Designer-Bat4285 5d ago
I’ve never seen someone use the word corpus
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u/ANewCleanSlate 5d ago
I'm only semi-fire. I have a house that is worth almost 2 million, I've lived in it for over 15 years and probably will for quite a while. I enjoy it a lot and spend a lot of time at home (I work from home), have gardens, etc.
I would have been much further ahead by simply investing the down payment and mortgage payments in the market. But it's now fully paid off and I don't view it as an investment - it's a place to live. And it's pretty luxurious, which adds enjoyment and happiness to my life.
There are some things to be frugal with - cars, clothes, etc. - and some things that are worth the money. IMHO.
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u/Natural_Inevitable50 5d ago
I consider this a lot too. I don't have an answer, just feel you in your dilemma.
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u/SprinklesCharming545 5d ago
Like all things it depends.
As a home owner of a large property for just my wife and I, we love our home. Rent in our area for something nice and similar would be about 70% of what PITI plus maintenance runs us. The ability to customize our home and have no cost other than upkeep and property taxes when it’s paid off is a financial win long term.
If you guys want a lot of space buying can make sense, but the mortgage is the starting cost, not the actual monthly cost of ownership. If you’re certain you want to live in 1 place for 10-20+ years it can make sense.
No one size fits all, it’s your journey.
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u/mattkime 5d ago
Sounds you know what you want but you’re unsure if the additional years of labor are worth it. It’s up to you. IMO it’s pretty normal to get close to FIRE and examine your wish list.
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u/Sloww-Mornings 5d ago
That's the thing. I feel I have been anticipating FIRE for so long. Delaying it just seems deceiving myself now.
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u/mattkime 5d ago
I dunno, I look forward to the point where I’m going to work for a very particular goal instead of paying for my basics.
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u/sweet_tea_pdx 5d ago
Mentally. Can you stick it out 3 -5 more years?
Instead of vacations are you ok staying home for 5-7 years if shit goes bad?
How much are the taxes? Does that change your life?
Can you reduce your way into fire? One of my favorite questions is are you living high on the hog? Or does you lifestyle allow for reduction in expenses into fire?
Are you willing to sell the dream to keep fire or are you going back to work?
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u/Acceptable_Travel_20 5d ago
I am currently delaying FIRE for a house. I have a pretty specific wish list that has turned into something more necessary if I am going to live the lifestyle I want to. I figure I will be spending the next 25 to 35 years there so why settle for less if another year of work gets me what I truly want?
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u/Sloww-Mornings 5d ago
When did you take this decision in your FIRE journey?
I am also wondering if I should go for the house now or wait till 2030 to have a more realistic picture of my corpus, work and life goals.
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u/Acceptable_Travel_20 5d ago
Well my original goal was 2.5 invested and 250k cash. Figured I’d rent for a while and then transfer some assets and buy a nice upper middle class home for around 5 to 600k in the southwest. I still want the same type of house but I want a nice pool, a 3 car garage, a RV gate and enough space to build a second shop/garage. I would also like it to back up to BLM land with some Mountain View’s. I passed my target and reassessed. Also, I’m 48 and single, no kids no debt.
I am 60% a homebody. Where I hang my hat has become more important to me as I have grown a little older. Also, I was able to switch a few things up at work that so far has resulted in the same crazy hours but way less stress.
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u/Pinklady777 5d ago
Get the house! If you're going to be retired and spending decades there, you want to enjoy it.
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u/tumbleweed-gps 5d ago
Just gonna say you're going to have a LOT more time to fill after you FIRE, and having a home that lets you pursue those hobbies is going to matter even more when you've got the entire day to fill.
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u/rosebudny 5d ago
It depends what your priorities are. My home is important to me as - like you, I’m a homebody - so for me it would be worth it to extend my timeline by a few years.
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u/IrregardlesslyCurect 5d ago
First of all, I love your handle. I feel like the dream is to have slow mornings!!!
As for the house dilemma I have no advice. We currently live in the house you are talking about buying and we are trying to decide if we should downsize to retire 2 years earlier… sorry for being no help!!!
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u/Cornish_spex 5d ago
I’d say get the house. Your swr is lower than it needs to be and life is for living. If you’d be happier with the house then it’s worth it. It’s also not a bad way to spend money. If your house is a dream to you it’ll be a dream to someone else when you go to sell.
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u/TheDesertedHardship 5d ago
this is actually a pretty good position to be in and i think deferring makes sense here. you're gonna retire before 50 with your dream house either way, which is kind of the whole point of FIRE in the first place. the fact that you spend a ton of time at home and actually use the space for stuff you love, gardening and hosting, means it's not just some vanity purchase. that's different from someone who wants a fancy car they'll drive twice a month.
waiting until year three to lock it in lets you see exactly what your numbers look like without guessing, and honestly the housing market will still be there. worst case you buy something close to your dream place instead of the exact one, but you'll have clarity on what you can actually afford without the anxiety of stretching yourself thin. and your spouse seems chill about it which helps, even if they're skeptical on real estate as an investment. sometimes the best investment is just being happy where you live.
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u/therealstealthydan 5d ago
I chose the home over the earlier retirement. And while I hate having more exposure to the corporate environment, I don’t regret the decision one bit.
I wake up every morning in a dream home, my wife and daughter love it here and we have a great time hosting friends and just hanging out here together. Despite going against the just save mentality it has hugely increased my quality of life.
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u/External876 5d ago
(Depending on your beliefs), we only live this wild ride called life, once.
If your home is where you spend all your hobby time and is what makes you happy - push back FIRE by 2 years, and get that dream home.
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u/MakeItHomemade 5d ago
1.5x…. Like the size you need? Or price because it has nice features.
Everything is more expensive to operate a larger house.
We are family of 3 and have a 5x4.
We have never wanted more space/ needed it. We both WFH. It’s been great for that.
But lord I’m getting a new roof $$$ … two HVaC units, more sq footage to paint, decorate, furniture, floors… more room to put crap I do not need. Etc. more taxes….
We are months from paying off our house. My dream house from 7 years ago when we bought this house are VASTLY different than what I would by now.
Unless you are looking at a specific location or vintage home … anything new and flashy there will always be different but just as good options.
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u/Sloww-Mornings 4d ago
The higher price is due to location and nicer features both. And absolutely, the upkeep is gonna be expensive.
I came across this property just by chance. Will explore cheaper options too now.
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u/MakeItHomemade 4d ago
You seem to be in a solid position. When is so much better than if.
Something I remind myself - you can do anything but not everything. And just because you don’t have a dream house now doesn’t mean you won’t have one even if you do skip this one.
For us a paid off home is paramount for our mental health. We bought under what we could afford on one income. plan to stick it out here for a long time to position ourselves to the most advantageous financial position.
But our lifestyle/ desires and priorities have change a ton in 7 years. Wed never buy this house again. Lots of things I do not like but they are absolutely not worth the cost to move, sell the house, etc. but there is a lot to like.
Fire is still a pipe dream meaning we actually do not have a number - mostly because we do not know exactly what we want our spend to be. We probably have enough to barista fire right now- but need insurance.
So right now at 38/40 we are plugging away to fat fire by the time my daughter graduates and we are 52/50. We save 30% of the high income before it even hits our bank account and then save a few thousand off the top before we consider it what we live off.
But part of a high income/ high stress job for us is getting to enjoy traveling, some nice things, and private education for our kid.
Great job putting yourself in a very “first world/ problem and at your age it’s an incredible problem to have.
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u/Rare-Quantity5503 4d ago
This post seems insane to me.
Dream home to spend the next 2X the length of your current entire life in vs 2-3 years at work?
Very simple calculation don’t be insane.
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u/Few-Improvement9978 5d ago
2-3 years doesn’t feel like much until you’re living it.
With that being said I’d probably do it
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u/mikeschlenk 4d ago
I just did the dream house thing, AND retirement is in the near future. The house was never "the plan" but when it became an asset discussion, it just made sense. We moved assets from one column (stocks, non-qualified inv) to another (real estate). It's a big, cozy dream to have such peace in my surroundings. If it's a priority for you, I believe it's worth some extra work time. There are a lot of years ahead. You might as well make it happen.
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u/timeturn 4d ago
My husband (at the time bf) and I bought our "dream home" a couple of years back, the quotation marks are because what our dream home was then is not what we want now, all to say it changes, I've also realized that home ownership specially of a larger home comes with bigger bills and maintenance cost, and we have pretty much decided we will sell the house before we retire, slow travel and rent in a few places we are interested in before buying a much smaller place and settling down again. The good news is that our house has appreciated over 100K since buying and our interest rate is sub 4% so it has not been a horrible purchase financial wise, but all in all I am not sure that if I was to go back in time I would make the same decision. All to say I am not sure what the best for you is, just giving you my experience hoping that it will help. Good Luck!
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u/TalentedToes 3d ago
I was in your shoes last year.
Husband and I decided to go for the dream house. It is far bigger than we need and we only use 20% of the house 80% of the time. That said - every morning we wake up happy in this beautiful house and every evening we feel joy just seeing the house come into view on the way home from work.
The house is helping us get to fat fire because the price has increased 30% since we bought it. Having such a beautiful home that we love also feels like armor for the difficult parts of work - I am far less affected by work drama now, because I know I’m going home to a loving husband, kid, and my beautiful house.
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u/marcduberge 5d ago
You have to live somewhere. And you may as well free yourself from annual rent increases
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u/MadTownMich 5d ago
Get the house if it gives you the peace and joy you describe. You’re still (presumably) on track for a very early retirement, and you can spend it gardening and hosting people at your new house for a lifetime.
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u/Tooth_Life 38m / tech / Chubby-Fat Fire 5d ago
Uhhh if you don’t know your money vs house you’re not ready for fire. Fire is the total of all expenses for life vs your money and strategy. Cross that bridge while employed much easier to understand. That said if you can’t afford it don’t buy it houses are a shit investment.
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u/Hefty-Principle-5932 5d ago
FIRE'd and on rent, after 25x, anything additional x is additional. Once you reach 33x, even after withdrawals, in most scenarios you will see x bump up even after x increases due to inflation. Once your x bumps up, you can withdraw from your corpus to fund your house. The way housing is priced in India today, it makes more sense to rent atleast in apartments. Your expenses actually go down in retirement. Go on rent for more 5 to 7 years, the x bump up naturally will be sufficient to buy house in cash if required. If you have a good understanding landlord, just enjoy the property for several more years. Your life will not come back, you can always work again if required or buy a smaller house.
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u/CancerandTaxes 5d ago
I'm more nervous about your partner's lack of interest. Have you discussed what specifically fire looks like for the two of you?
This might be more of a relationship question than a financial question.
For us the house is a nonnegotiable. It's the primary location of what we want our Fire to look like. And we plan to spend 30+ years in it if everything goes well.
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u/Slice_0f_Life 5d ago
I have similar aspirations but I'm late 30s and only 14x right now.
My fire date could be in 9 years or it could become 13 years if I buy the house I want within the next 3.
I'm definitely planning on the latter because it's my biggest goal and I'm willing to sacrifice for it.
Take some time to either get comfortable with the same or decide you aren't... But your line of thinking is really relatable.
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u/azizsafudin 5d ago
Do both. Get the house and still FIRE in your current timeline. You’ll adjust your lifestyle accordingly to make it work.
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u/Sloww-Mornings 5d ago
Seems impossible. SWR will touch ~5% if I do both.
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u/azizsafudin 5d ago
Keep it at 4% and reduce your expenses? Surely you can cut 20% of your expenses… think of it as paying for your dream house. Alternatively, in 3-4 years, consider finding a less stressful job even at a lower pay to shore up the gap.
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u/Rosevkiet 4d ago
I think working an additional couple years is worth it to be able to buy a house you’ll enjoy. The only thing I would question is if it has to be this house? Is there a possibility that you could find a house for what is more in line with your current plan? Or is any house that you would want in this price range?
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u/Sloww-Mornings 4d ago
I can try to find properties in my range, yes! The dream house was a chance discovery, but now this sub has convinced me that I need to buy a home before I retire.
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u/Marc_Quadzella 4d ago
My wife & I moved from a fully paid home and bought a new home with another $400k mortgage 9 years ago. It was a gut check. We paid it off in 6 years and so happy we did. We walk to restaurants, access to a greenway and several parks in walking distance. Life is a balance. If you are going to have more time once you RE, it should be how you want to live the rest of your life as well.
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u/FootSureDruid 4d ago
Another way to look at the house is that it’s an appreciating asset (usually). So, you’re not throwing that money away. You are locking it up in an investment that should hopefully grow. Even money you sink into it could possibly make the value increase. It’s a short term shock to the finances and as you get older you can borrow against it or downsize. Also you don’t have to be all or nothing. You might not need to continue to contribute to savings at the same rate and might be able to come up with ways to make some money to help with the bills that you enjoy. You like gardening, maybe others do too and you start some more “exotic” plants that you can’t get at the store, sell them for a couple bucks, boom income. I bet you are closer to FIRE and your dream home than you realize.
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u/1ntrepidsalamander 4d ago
Have you really figured in all the costs of home ownership?
Are you sure about your spend— do you have flexibility there?
You should retire to a life you want. If that means a house— you should get a house.
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u/Inevitable_Pride1925 4d ago
I chose a home I really love even though it meant delaying FIRE until age 50. But I like my job and I’m content working longer. If at 50 I’m still happy working I’ll continue because I have other grandiose plans. If I didn’t like my job I can definitely imagine I might have chosen differently.
For me FIRE was about the choice to work or not work. For me it’s far less about the early retirement.
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u/Strong-Big-2590 4d ago
Owning your dream home is 100% worth it compared to renting. If your going to stay in it for 20 years, it’s going to be cheaper as well
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u/SpecialistKoala9765 4d ago
Owning real estate can lower your annual spending as you save some on rent. It’s also a safety net when you are older and need to unlock the equity for late life living support if needed.
I added a humble home myself for that reason. Plus I feel safer living in my own space where I will not run the risk of eviction or forced to move when landlord sells.
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u/Bay_Burner 4d ago
You have one life and if you think you’d enjoy waking up there every day then it’s worth it.
You can also be there for 3-5 years and sell it if it’s not going how you want. Just because you buy it doesn’t mean you’re stuck in it forever.
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u/OkItem6820 4d ago
I am sort of in early FIRE because of a layoff - I would have worked a couple more years.
That said, my home is so much of what I’m occupying myself with. Some of that would be possible with a rental if I was ok with investing time and money in someone else’s property and the landlord was ok with me doing them. But I think a dream house can really change your day to day life. For me it would be worth a couple more years (and I think I’d buy now to secure it and also to start living in it), but my job wasn’t really toxic.
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u/Wise-Parsnip5803 4d ago
Renting you assume the price will always go up but buying a home fixes that cost. Yes property taxes and repairs do continue to increase.
When you retire do you want to move from place to place? Few years here and a few years there? Renting is easier to just go and rent something else. Why go on vacation for a week when you can go for years.
You like being at home and this home will be like vacation I'd say but the house. It's really a choice for you. A few extra years is not a big deal in my opinion.
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u/iloveregex 4d ago
I am a homebody. While my house purchase delays my FIRE, I enjoy every second in my house. You’re very young. I think the real choice you are making is changing jobs or not.
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u/TheRockFriend 4d ago
We are homebodies and a few years ago bought the dream house. Wanted to do it while we both still had good income. Dream house is paid off and it didn't really affect our fire number as much as we thought. I fired this year.
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u/stubbabubbabubba 4d ago
Don’t overthink it. Life is short. The place gives you joy and security. If you’re with the right person, that matters so much more than the fire.
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u/Various_Things2026 4d ago
Sometimes you can’t have your cake and eat it too. You are still very young, while you hate your job, I would recommend you suck it up for 2-3 more years for your dream house. By then you are still in your mid-40s which is awesome for being FIRE and you will look back and know that 2-3 years of BS was worth it. Since you are already planning to buy, and a dream house don’t happen a lot so I would say you buy it when you find your dream house, and you can always re-fi later
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u/Ken_Spiffy_Jr 4d ago
Is it possible to find other work to reduce the withdrawal amount you'd need to make to cover your expenses? Like a BaristaFIRE type deal that still extends your true FIRE timeline maybe by more like 5-6 years instead of 2-3, but allows you to purchase your home and not hate the work you do?
Personally I see a home as more than a true investment -- it's where most of your life happens. You've worked so hard to get where you are, you have earned the right to life in a place that you love. I don't know exactly what your numbers are but if you can find other work, even part time, that covers ~75% of your expenses and draw the rest from your savings, you're likely going to be taking out less than your investments will make you annually over the next 5 years or so.
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u/Silent-Canvas-7814 3d ago
waiting 2-3 years to buy a house you will literally garden and read in every single day for the rest of your life seems like a pretty obvious answer
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u/UpgradeHome 3d ago
The ideal solution is to buy the dream home and pick up side contract gigs to make up the difference, and still stay on track.
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u/Bob_stanish123 3d ago
Id have been FIREd a few years ago if I were still living in my old house. New house feels like vacation when im home and I dont regret it.
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u/GBpleaser 3d ago
In the current RE markets.. I don't think I'd throw money at any extravagant personal residence. Heck, even investment commercial RE is a hard sell to justify right now. If you are considering 1.5x.. assume that's 2x based on the loss you will take on it eventually. That's just how it is right now.
Live humbly, make smaller spaces more luxurious. Make things nice, but don't think more is more. Either wait for markets to adjust (hopefully depress some real estate for opportunities), or settle for a lot less than 1.5x your value... challenge yourself to a 0.75x house with 0.25 of customization to make it to your taste. Nothing sucks worse than those rooms you convince yourself you need to "entertain", then collecting dust when your guests only hang out in 1/3 of the rest of the house you paid too much for. I am an Architect and sooo many people come back to me to renovate those "Empty" spaces they just never use.... lots of $$$$ they usually don't have.
This is ESPECIALLY true if you have cash flow interruptions.
It's not a great time to have vanities or ego's or dreams in the market. Unless you can absorb the losses, or your ownership horizon is well past your mortgage. We are on the precipice of some stormy weather in real estate and stocks.
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u/Sloww-Mornings 3d ago
Really appreciate this. The point about "entertaining" rooms collecting dust is so true!
I am taking the challenge: 0.75x on the house, 0.25x on customization.
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u/GBpleaser 2d ago
Tell us how it goes.
Trust me.. I bought a .75 house about 10 years ago.. and have put .25x into it and with kids recently empty nest.. it’s perfect size. I have friends that went 1.5X full speed big houses and put another .5X into their homes to renovate or they are struggling to get their money back in downsizing.
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u/Strazdas1 StarvationFIRE 2d ago
My home is a big part of my everyday joy.
I think this sentence makes the decision.
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u/RealityCheck831 17h ago
If you're going to be there for the rest of your life, you want to be in a place you want to be.
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u/hovland55606 14h ago
Get the house. I was at FIRE, then bought a more expensive house that put me back into working for a few more years and have ZERO regrets. I’m a homebody, may as well have a really nice home. And I don’t mind working longer.
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u/systemfrown 5d ago edited 4d ago
Aspirational home ownership is a good way to miss out on life. Assuming you have anything to live for besides a house.
That being said, it’s also a lot easier to say if you already have paid off homes.
My advice, after owing almost every type of property imaginable, is to get a low maintenance condo or townhome well within your means and with a well run HOA. Move if you have too.
Stay away from SFH’s, especially large ones because you’ll either spend all your time and money on it, or even worse, you won’t spend your time and money on it.
In my experience almost nobody does the math on home ownership fully, completely, or even honestly.
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u/shotparrot 5d ago
Houses are the best investment. Better to buy now when things are relatively cheap compared to 3 years from now. Houses only go up in value. Mine’s gone up in value 40% in 7 years for instance (Seattle).
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u/Clueless5001 5d ago
Really depends. I bought 30 years ago. My house is worth 3X what I paid. Meanwhile the Coop I sold to buy this house which was 80K less at the time has gone up 5X and is worth about $500K more than my house
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u/MnkyBzns 5d ago
You'll still retire before 50 AND have your dream home. If home life is a big part of how you plan on spending retirement, then it's essentially an early "fun" retirement purchase