This is tough to decide on.

I remember around 1982 I was going out with a Girl and We went over to Her Sister House.

They were renting a Old beat up House not unlike My own House that I was buying built in the late 1920s. I even had the leaky Roof like mine.

Both Sister and Her Husband had worked along time for one of the Telephone Companies and both of them had a higher wage them Me. They did have 2 Kids.

I commented that they could buy a House like the one they were renting and I got all kinds of objections from them; part of which was they could not afford that.

I found out that each of them was driving and paying on a fairly New Car and that they were frequent Weed Smokers. I suspect that both of those issues had a good deal with keeping them from owning a House.

They also calimed the 2 kids cost a lot. The Kids were 4 and 5 Years old. I don't know enough about raising Kids to know if that would prevent them from getting an old fixer House or not.

But, I am real sure having 2 Car payments by itself is enough to keep someone from bying a House.

My House payment at the time was lower then their rent.

What allowed be to by a House without having a Cosigner is that I had been in the Army and the Guarentee to pay the Loan off if you default. Of course they move you out if you don't pay up.

So that is also a choice for some younger people out there.

Join the Miltary to serve in some non-combatent type Job and pick a Specialty that you can get a job with when you get out of the Military.
(Just about every Job that is in a Hospital they have in the Military.)

Depending on where you are stationed and your Job you might even manage to go to the local Community College and even in the pre-computer past there was Correspondence Courses you could take to get a Degree in something.

[rant]

I can't wait to get out of an apartment, but it is tough. My Wife & I each make a decent salary, have paid off cheap used cars, no partying/etc, but have had trouble getting preapproved for enough to buy a house in this area.

Technically yes you can get a 50k rowhouse, but I'm sick of playing the "was that gunfire or fireworks" game (FYI-it was gunshots last Sunday at 6am, two houses down. Cops shut the block down for that one).

To get a crappy fix'er'upper with more than 0.25 acres you're looking at ~$300k+...and the banks don't want to lend out despite the fact that my flawless renting records shows that I'm absolutely definitely good for the money each month. I prove that I have paid rent on time, they say "oh well we can't be sure you will be able to handle this mortgage even though it's less than your current rent".

/rant]

I guess part of it is how you approach the person/problem. I have never felt threatened, nor have I felt the need to threaten someone when a situation like this came up.

Take this situation... had the guy run over to the OP's place in the morning and said "Hey bro, my friends got ticketed last night, there was noplace for them to park, but I noticed your car's been there for a while. Do you need a hand with it or something?", The outcome would have been the same without the hard feelings. Explain the problem, offer to be part of the solution, work together to a resolution.

If OP comes back with "Chuck you and the horse you rode in on..." then you have to be more patient and threatening at the same time, letting them know you have the upper hand, and aren't afraid to exercise it - just be damn sure before you open your mouth that you are right.

"Hey, I know you're pissed bro - I would be too! This place is full of rules and I'm sure folks are on your back about the car sitting there. If it gets called in, you know its going to be towed, right? Its in our rent agreement. Lemme help you get it running, or at least moved so you don't have to worry about it."

Usually works for me.

[rant]

I can't wait to get out of an apartment, but it is tough. My Wife & I each make a decent salary, have paid off cheap used cars, no partying/etc, but have had trouble getting preapproved for enough to buy a house in this area.

Technically yes you can get a 50k rowhouse, but I'm sick of playing the "was that gunfire or fireworks" game (FYI-it was gunshots last Sunday at 6am, two houses down. Cops shut the block down for that one).

To get a crappy fix'er'upper with more than 0.25 acres you're looking at ~$300k+...and the banks don't want to lend out despite the fact that my flawless renting records shows that I'm absolutely definitely good for the money each month. I prove that I have paid rent on time, they say "oh well we can't be sure you will be able to handle this mortgage even though it's less than your current rent".

/rant]

I made myself a promise back in highschool that I would always own my own place. That hasn't always been a good decision, but its always worked out.

One thing I have found is that outside influence in the buying process can really skew the outcome. Buying my first place, I was looking for a rundown house that could be patched up. Once the parents and fiancee got involved, I ended up having the price run to the top of my budget, and moved into a paint-ready new house. The mortgage killed our marriage within 2 years and I found myself selling the house for less than I had bought it for.

With $2500 in my pocket, and as a young divorcee I bought my next house - all 450 sf of it on a huge lot in a good neighbourhood. 5 years later and after rewiring and replumbing the place, I doubled my money on the house and felt good about things again.

I have now lived in enough houses that the buying process is a bit of a chore. I now ignore the outside influences, and my wife is on the same page I am with regards to renos and homestyles. I still shake my head at that first buy and wonder how I made such a bad investment on it. I would have been better off renting.

You sold it for $5000? :)

Sixto
87 300D

The reason Apartments are not meant as a Stable, there is no place to tie up your Donkey.


http://topfunnythings.com/images/upl...imal-humor.jpg


Charlie :xmas:

Love it !
 

HA HA HA !!!!!!

I guess your right, if I choose that I could choose to buy a house.

But I made a different choice. Some of you might have guessed, but I have never stated this. I was born in 1993 hence ichris93 so this puts me in the 19-20 age range. My birthday is next week so I am 19 for this week. My choice was college. I go to the University of South Florida and I am majoring in electrical engineering. I have enough scholarships to cover 15 credit hours a semester at a cost to $0 to me. However, I usually take 17-18 which costs me about $300 a semseter. I also work in a research lab which keeps, so those two things keep me pretty busy.

I do agree with you, no car payments. I own both of my 1980s benzs and paid cash for them. I also have two mutual funds, one is a Roth IRA for retirement and one is for a down payment on a home once I graduate and find where I will be working.

I do like the military option, but I don't think that was the best one for me.

Very true

I like where you take this thread.

aw, come on! I went there first!
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/3253965-post60.html

Both of you :thumbsup:

What you are focusing on is Good.
It also sounds like you will have your House if you want one.

There is no sure things in life but what you decide to spend you income on is extremely important.

For the average wage earner they can have fashionable clothing, a New Car, eat out, and the latest Electronic gadgets and rent or they can do without a lot of that and have a chance at owning a House.

The other issue is Children. Have a bunch of Kids before or just after you get out of High School and unless you function on only a few hours of sleep you are likely not even making it to College.

Put a Gypsy Wagon on the back and you won't need an Apartment.