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Strategic Renter
@
2012 Oct 8, 6:47am
Strategic Renter
@
2012 Oct 8, 6:47am
Very wise. Most of the housing stock in OC is so old that land value minus the cost of demolition is all you should be paying. I will not pay what is being asked for falling down nasty shacks that I would not let my dog live in.
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After a visit to SoCal a few months back, my cousin and her husband (plus toddler and twins on the way) were talking about buying a house because they needed the space. I pulled up the "Eight reasons why it's a terrible time to buy a house," page on this site, and started reading a few of 'em off.
Unlike every other foolish peer of mine (ages 25-30), they weren't so emotionally dead set on buying, that they listened!
Recently, she posted on her blog. Here are a few excerpts:
"So I always planned on renting an apartment, scrimping and saving, until I could afford to buy a home. I admit it, I thought renting a home when you could buy was a dumb idea. Why pay thousands when you could put that money into a home of your own? Here's the thing, you may be in a situation where you need more space, but that doesn't mean it's a better deal to buy the space, than to rent it."
"Now I'm not saying that I'm completely convinced and will totally throw all other plans to the wind in favor of some ideas I just learned. But I am taking comfort because I have been really sick of the waiting game lately. I want a house! More specifically I want: Backyard, Garage, Laundry Room, Privacy, Central A/C, Dishwasher in just about that order! So I guess the point of all this is that it's nice to know that those things aren't as far away as I might think. I don't have to buy a home in order to live in one (though it would be nice!), in fact, it's probably better for me not to buy a home right now. So in the meantime, my strategy is: save, save, save!"
The site is working! I am a Mormon, and served as a missionary about seven years ago. I felt a commitment to something I believe in (Jesus Christ) and shared it with those interested in listening, and felt so happy to see a change in their life.
I share that only because this experience ... feels almost like the EXACT same thing, albeit in a different way. Patrick calls this site a "mission," and it effectively is. It's great to learn about the true decay behind mortgage financing and price fixing, and being able to have access to the articles and data to 'evangelize' smart finances. And it's even better to see my friends and relatives who are my age have a positive financial change in their lives.
Hopefully the first of many relatives and friends I can talk into postponing home debtorship.
#housing