I have no desire at all to have a house. I hate gardening, painting and repairs. I like the idea of being able to just move when I want or if the house starts looking old or begins to host insects. Can I just not own a house / apartment ever? Or is that like throwing away money perpetually and I must own for when I ultimately retire? Do stock ETFs appreciate comparable to real estate? Why not just continue investing in things other than real estate? Or should I at least buy an apartment?
For context I'm married F25. We don't want children. I have 35K in liquid savings/investments and 26K in 401k. My husband has savings that his parents set up for him + his own, so he can match whatever I put in.
Our household income is 200K and we pay $3200 a month rent. We love this place. It's like a hotel: the amenities, doorman, gym, washer, drier, dishwasher, swimming pools, sauna, basketball courts, book clubs... Why would I leave this to own my own property and then have to look for gym, pool, etc.? I also like free HVAC repairmen being available and not having to fix stuff.
I max out my 401k and also save $800 month. Major expenses: I spend 3K on gifts and 7K on travel annually. I expect a bonus of about 35K every February for the next 3 years and double that once I get promoted.
Can I just rent my entire life or is this absurd? All my coworkers always talk about saving for real estate, car, etc., but I don't want to own apartment & car because you have to maintain both of these yourself. I like walking and using public transport when needed.
Edit: thanks for advice! I think I've decided what to do. I want to be an almost lifetime renter (and saver!) until maybe 60 and then just buy a small house or apartment in a cheap state with cash when it's time to retire.
EDIT 2: Actually no, this is dumb. If I have enough to buy in cash, then why not just keep paying rent. Hmm..
Submitted June 17, 2019 at 09:17PM by brobronn17 http://bit.ly/2KY7ZwA
