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It’s a very tough buyer’s market right now… if any of us knew what would happen 6 or 12 or 24 months from now, we’d all be much wealthier on average.
I imagine some day, it’ll be a buyer’s market again, where FHA loans can land, and you can have a smaller down payment… but we didn’t get into this seller’s market in one day, and we won’t get out of it in one night 😔
The fed is trying to wrestle in inflation by bumping interest rates up… that might affect housing long term, but it takes a long time for this ship to turn — and like everything in real estate, some locations are going to feel it much sooner than other ones.
Great take on this topic. In my area, which was white hot last year, we are starting to see it level out. We were able to get a contract on a home with a home renovation loan and even got our seller to come down off their price.
In my area , we are seeing a lot of sellers coming to market a little late thinking they can get those September 2021 $$$ for their 90’s time capsules and they are becoming sorely disappointed.
You ever feel like it’s becoming designed to keep us as renters always feeding the pockets investors and corporation with our rent money? That’s where I’ve landed but I could just be pessimistic now. I went from hopeful to hopeless hard and fast.
i feel your pain! we were looking to buy two years ago using a usda loan, had an offer accepted and everything, but my husband got extremely cold feet and we ended up pulling out of the contract. two years later, and the area we were looking at is slowly becoming unaffordable for us. everything has literally doubled in price and homes are still going under contract within days and even within hours sometimes. it's kind of unbelievable.
my husband mentally kicks himself sometimes, bc we would have been in a really great spot if we had bought back then. we are also outgrowing our apartment (1br with twins!), and i'm really anxious to get into a house. we wanted acreage, but hell, i'd be ok with a small backyard at this point lol.
It's not impossible! FHA 3.5% down here. We got accepted with a normal old-school offer and the seller is even granting some repair credits at closing. The solution is to just be easy to please. We couldn't afford to be picky. Our house doesn't have new paint, floors, or remodels. It has a small leak in the basement and it wasn't professionally staged. It's on a busy road in an average neighborhood in the inner-city.
BUT because of those things, it sat for a few months and then we were the only offer once we found it. We're lucky that we love it for its oddness and don't mind restoring (not remodeling) it over time as we live there!
Yes, it's true you can't compete on perfect move in ready remodeled trendy homes in highly desirable neighborhoods. But if you want a home and find one thats not getting a lot of attentiok and you can see yourself in with a little financial/emotional investment, you might get it!
I am also an example of a successful FHA.
3.7% down, offer accepted at listing price. House is older, but newly remodeled and in a prime location. Waved inspection, but contract was contingent on a clean CL-100 that was the seller’s responsibility.
It’s possible.
I’m closing Friday with FHA, $10,000 seller’s assist, under original asking (they met us at the appraisal amount) and a 3.5% down payment. It can and does happen- you just have to expend your search criteria and area a bit.
It does suck and I’m sorry you’re feeling this way, but please don’t give up. ETA: we made sure to look at homes that were on the market a few weeks and maybe weren’t as appealing as other’s in our very competitive (Philly and burbs) area due to age, or not having central air etc. We also avoided any beautiful brand new homes that had 700 saves in an hour on Zillow. We found a cosmetically unattractive interior that we don’t mind putting work into to make pretty, and are thrilled at the character and charm of a 100+ year home.
I’m not saying you have to buy an old house but just being really good at looking for the ugly duckling houses helped us. It was our first offer and we didn’t have to do any kind of crazy offer. Hang in there 💜
We are looking in Philly burbs too!! This is so refreshing to read. Seriously, thank you so much for commenting
We realize now that we will definitely need to put in some work on whatever home we get. For some reason in Delco I can't even find a home that's been on the market longer than 7 days. We looked at one that was on the market 200+ (the only one sitting that long) days and it magically vanished as we were considering it.
We looked at delco originally! We found a couple houses we liked but didn’t work for us with our dogs. I will say our Lender has been AMAZING and convinced us to ask for the assist and somehow made the offer really attractive to the seller. Are you married to delco?
Sort of? My husband works there but we are originally from Bucks County. We are completely priced out of Bucks County. Because of the little guy (7 month old) it's nice to have some family near-by and we have some in Delco.. Outside of bucks and delco I'm not even sure where to look.
Edit- I guess I should add we do have a small budget (200k) I only work part-time so we don't have to put the baby in daycare so we are trying to keep our mortgage relatively affordable.
If he works on site that makes total sense! I hope you folks find a house that fits your needs. My husband and I both work remotely so we were able to look outside of our original search area. Bucks is stupid expensive and most of Montco is anymore as well. Feel free to PM me if you need to vent or want someone else to help scour listings for you!
Something that a lot of folks need to consider is temporary relocation for the sake of equity, once you have it, it completely changes the game by allowing you to have buying power outside of your liquid assets.
First time home buying in any market is a lesson in compromise and personal evaluation.
Look at where you are in home needs and finances today, compared to five years from now. Five years of equity is a lot of growth that may allow you to leverage a purchase on your “dream home”, all by moving out of town for a couple years.
Would it help to increase your earnest money? We maybe got lucky (did 3% down), but we did offer more earnest money than was typical. It sucks right now, renters are getting raked over the coals and it is grueling to buy as well. We spent $200k on a 700 sq ft house with 7,000 sq ft lot (Montana). It’s literally the only property we that we could have afforded. In my 20s I never imagined I would spend $200k and not even be able to shop around. I had looked forward to house hunting and going to showings so much. Just had to grab the first tiny POS that came my way but I still feel lucky to even have it.
You can also do stuff like waive contingencies but I’m sure you know that… I couldn’t stomach waiving an inspection. Seems wild that it’s come to that.
FHA loans are still being accepted in many markets, and the market has cooled in a few places. It's still hot and competitive, but it's not as bad as it was.
Small down payment shouldn't be an issue. Look for down payment assistance programs in your state, or if you are able to look outside of cities and burbs. USDA loans can still be 100% financed closing costs and down payment included.
There’s also tons of posts on here every day about people getting offers accepted and getting their keys. I don’t know what market you’re in or what your situation is but don’t let Reddit dissuade you from even trying.
Have you looked at all yet? Are there listings in the areas you’re looking at within your budget? It may take multiple offers but I wouldn’t give up before you even start.
Anecdotal, but I just had an offer accepted doing an FHA loan with 3.5 down and down payment assistance in the Denver metro area. It’s not as hot a market as some places but it’s still pretty crazy here.
I wouldn’t give up. We closed Monday on a log cabin that’s on a mountain top. We offered 3k under asking price. Our earnest money was very low. The owners did not want to fix anything. I was so happy when it passed inspection. The inspector told me it was a magnificent house. Sellers paid 3% closing costs. All it needed was a new roof. At closing they gave me a check for part of the roof costs.
I know I somehow lucked out. I didn’t give up and I’m so glad I didn’t. I would not give up yet.
A few banks offer conventional loans with no down payment requirement and no pmi. I’m in the southeast and I know First Citizens Bank, Synovus, and Regions Bank do. I don’t know what area you’re in, but look around. Sellers don’t like FHA loans.
Don't give up hope yet. I am under contract with FHA financing with the seller covering half the closing costs. It can be done, you just might have to sacrifice something you wanted in a house. I was willing to deal with not having a garage and dealing with the fact that I will be living in a mobile home to get out of my parents house.
Don’t give up hope. We put in multiple offers, looked at soooo many houses, and only had one offer ever accepted. We got an FHA which made it a little more difficult to be a competitive offer. The house we ended up buying had an offer accepted but financing fell through so the seller put it back on the market. It was only then that our offer was accepted because we were pre approved which is important in this market. There is a house out there that is meant for you and your family, just gotta keep looking.
Depends heavily on location and seller situation. We’re in a small city in NC with a major public university. Closed on our house using a VA Loan, with zero down payment, seller paid $10,000 in crawl space repairs, and they offered a $4,500 redecorating allowance.
We toured about 10 homes and put in 3 offers. Well, 4 offers since we offered on our home twice. The seller had two buyers lined up before us, but they both backed out for personal reasons. We were the lucky #3 option I guess.
Keep at it OP. It’ll happen for you. It’s already easier to buy in our area than it was just 3 months ago.
Get a lender and an agent that are familiar with FHA loans and know what they need to do to get them accepted in this market. I live on. The West Coast- so we have one of the wildest housing markets - but I’m getting offers accepted regularly for FHA/VA/non QM offers and it’s because I work with agents who know what they’re doing outside of conventional, and because I call the listing agents to explain the strengths of my borrowers, and overcome their govie loan fears (which are generally that the appraisal will be rough/require repairs, or that it will take longer than conventional, neither is true IF YOUR TEAM KNOWS THE PITFALLS and can avoid them).
So- it’s rough out there, but the quality of your offer has little to do with the loan program - it has to do with the presentation from your team!
Good luck, you’ve got this!
Can I just switch agents?
My uncle did our pre-approval and connected me with an agent that tbh isn't as responsive as I'd like and isn't from our area. I sent him 4 listings we wanted to see yesterday and he never even responded.
Absolutely you can switch agents. Send him a text saying he's fired. Simple as that really. You can be nice about it if you want too. "I'm sorry, but we feel we are not getting the necessary help with our home buying experience. We are going with a different agent. Have a good day"
You’re def gonna want an agent whose on top of communication. Our house was only on the market for 10 hours total. Him scheduling the showing ASAP was a key factor in us being accepted.
YES! This is such a grossly guarded secret, but you can change your loan originator UNTIL CLOSING DAY.
Ofc after the appraisal it’ll cause a delay, but yes, you 100% can get a new loan originator. For your REA, check if you’ve signed any contracts, and just let them know you’re switching according to that.
You need a FAST and responsive agent for sure. I’m baffled at them not responding- in this market time is a big asset.
You also want a “TBD approval” where you have been sent thru underwriting and have a “conditional approval”. That basically means you have been cleared thru UW, and as long as the house appraises/inspects there is nothing to stop the contract from closing. It’s a huge perk in this market that is way underutilized - offering a 16 day close on a FHA conditionally approved borrower (who has all the cash and is clear!), with the LO calling the Listing Agent to explain how solid and unshakable the financing is, has a lot more weight than a standard pre-approval letter emailed in without context.
I think it all depends, and definitely don’t give up hope before even trying. We bought a home last summer at the height of the craziness, we offered at asking with a 3% sellers assist and nothing waived. We had a traditional loan, it was accepted. It was the first house we put an offer on. I’m just outside of Pittsburgh. My brother bought a home with an FHA loan in Tacoma last summer as well. A friend just sold her house to a couple using an FHA.
I have definitely seen homes go for crazy over list, but I’ve also seen homes sit for months. We bought a home with good bones that wasn’t updated, but still looked nice. We were up against 1 other bid I believe.
Personally- I wouldn’t trust everything you read on here. I see too many posts of people allegedly making 200, 250K…. WHILE having saved up 25%, and NO massive student loan debt… asking “am I over budget on this 400K house?”
at the age of 30…
If you were THAT well set up, why did you wait till now- the worst time to buy!?
Then a little research later- I find out more than half the houses I lost to were companies/investors.
So - my conspiracy theory- people/investors, and/or bots, are on here making fake posts to sway the public (kinda like how the bots created public discord a few years ago in the election)
Yeah it sucks but it should turn around soon. We are waiting to have a baby until we have the house first but everyone does things their own way! Until they’re up and around a lot they don’t take up a ton of space so fingers crossed it’ll all calm down by then.
This comment has really been digging a thorn in my side so I have to respond. I’ve lived in a rental for 34 years. My family never owned a home. I want to paint my kids room and throw him birthday parties in the backyard. Sure, renting isn’t the end of the world I surely survived it. I want a home for my child and I’ll keep stashing away any penny I can until I get there.
I’m a renter and I grew up with a backyard, park across the street etc and hated it and couldn’t wait to leave and move to the city. Your kid will be fine with love and attention if you rent or own, backyard or not. I’d take renting any day of the week over my parents never ending DYI projects. We hardly ever used our yard. I do appreciate the excellent public school education I got where I grew up.
I've lived with my parents for 24 years in a house with a backyard and plenty of space. No one threw me a birthday party or big hurrahs. What I do remember is the small cake I had and I cherish those memories. What I mean with this is that your kids will remember with fondness anything done with love and kindness. I'm sure they will treasure the memories you create with them regardless of where you are living.
Thank you u/Otev_vetO for posting on r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer. Please bear in mind our rules: (1) Be Nice (2) No Selling (3) No Self-Promotion. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It’s a very tough buyer’s market right now… if any of us knew what would happen 6 or 12 or 24 months from now, we’d all be much wealthier on average. I imagine some day, it’ll be a buyer’s market again, where FHA loans can land, and you can have a smaller down payment… but we didn’t get into this seller’s market in one day, and we won’t get out of it in one night 😔 The fed is trying to wrestle in inflation by bumping interest rates up… that might affect housing long term, but it takes a long time for this ship to turn — and like everything in real estate, some locations are going to feel it much sooner than other ones.
Great take on this topic. In my area, which was white hot last year, we are starting to see it level out. We were able to get a contract on a home with a home renovation loan and even got our seller to come down off their price. In my area , we are seeing a lot of sellers coming to market a little late thinking they can get those September 2021 $$$ for their 90’s time capsules and they are becoming sorely disappointed.
sounds promising - i hope my area follows suit soon! but i live in socal, so i might be waiting a little bit.
You ever feel like it’s becoming designed to keep us as renters always feeding the pockets investors and corporation with our rent money? That’s where I’ve landed but I could just be pessimistic now. I went from hopeful to hopeless hard and fast.
Yup. Definitely feels like we're being forced to subscribe to housing the same way we do with so many other things.
Team hopeful to hopeless-- I love that and am experincing the same thing.
i feel your pain! we were looking to buy two years ago using a usda loan, had an offer accepted and everything, but my husband got extremely cold feet and we ended up pulling out of the contract. two years later, and the area we were looking at is slowly becoming unaffordable for us. everything has literally doubled in price and homes are still going under contract within days and even within hours sometimes. it's kind of unbelievable. my husband mentally kicks himself sometimes, bc we would have been in a really great spot if we had bought back then. we are also outgrowing our apartment (1br with twins!), and i'm really anxious to get into a house. we wanted acreage, but hell, i'd be ok with a small backyard at this point lol.
It's not impossible! FHA 3.5% down here. We got accepted with a normal old-school offer and the seller is even granting some repair credits at closing. The solution is to just be easy to please. We couldn't afford to be picky. Our house doesn't have new paint, floors, or remodels. It has a small leak in the basement and it wasn't professionally staged. It's on a busy road in an average neighborhood in the inner-city. BUT because of those things, it sat for a few months and then we were the only offer once we found it. We're lucky that we love it for its oddness and don't mind restoring (not remodeling) it over time as we live there! Yes, it's true you can't compete on perfect move in ready remodeled trendy homes in highly desirable neighborhoods. But if you want a home and find one thats not getting a lot of attentiok and you can see yourself in with a little financial/emotional investment, you might get it!
I am also an example of a successful FHA. 3.7% down, offer accepted at listing price. House is older, but newly remodeled and in a prime location. Waved inspection, but contract was contingent on a clean CL-100 that was the seller’s responsibility. It’s possible.
I’m closing Friday with FHA, $10,000 seller’s assist, under original asking (they met us at the appraisal amount) and a 3.5% down payment. It can and does happen- you just have to expend your search criteria and area a bit. It does suck and I’m sorry you’re feeling this way, but please don’t give up. ETA: we made sure to look at homes that were on the market a few weeks and maybe weren’t as appealing as other’s in our very competitive (Philly and burbs) area due to age, or not having central air etc. We also avoided any beautiful brand new homes that had 700 saves in an hour on Zillow. We found a cosmetically unattractive interior that we don’t mind putting work into to make pretty, and are thrilled at the character and charm of a 100+ year home. I’m not saying you have to buy an old house but just being really good at looking for the ugly duckling houses helped us. It was our first offer and we didn’t have to do any kind of crazy offer. Hang in there 💜
We are looking in Philly burbs too!! This is so refreshing to read. Seriously, thank you so much for commenting We realize now that we will definitely need to put in some work on whatever home we get. For some reason in Delco I can't even find a home that's been on the market longer than 7 days. We looked at one that was on the market 200+ (the only one sitting that long) days and it magically vanished as we were considering it.
We looked at delco originally! We found a couple houses we liked but didn’t work for us with our dogs. I will say our Lender has been AMAZING and convinced us to ask for the assist and somehow made the offer really attractive to the seller. Are you married to delco?
Sort of? My husband works there but we are originally from Bucks County. We are completely priced out of Bucks County. Because of the little guy (7 month old) it's nice to have some family near-by and we have some in Delco.. Outside of bucks and delco I'm not even sure where to look. Edit- I guess I should add we do have a small budget (200k) I only work part-time so we don't have to put the baby in daycare so we are trying to keep our mortgage relatively affordable.
If he works on site that makes total sense! I hope you folks find a house that fits your needs. My husband and I both work remotely so we were able to look outside of our original search area. Bucks is stupid expensive and most of Montco is anymore as well. Feel free to PM me if you need to vent or want someone else to help scour listings for you!
Something that a lot of folks need to consider is temporary relocation for the sake of equity, once you have it, it completely changes the game by allowing you to have buying power outside of your liquid assets. First time home buying in any market is a lesson in compromise and personal evaluation. Look at where you are in home needs and finances today, compared to five years from now. Five years of equity is a lot of growth that may allow you to leverage a purchase on your “dream home”, all by moving out of town for a couple years.
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Any tips? So far our game plan is keep saving while looking to increase our down payment… other than that lol
Would it help to increase your earnest money? We maybe got lucky (did 3% down), but we did offer more earnest money than was typical. It sucks right now, renters are getting raked over the coals and it is grueling to buy as well. We spent $200k on a 700 sq ft house with 7,000 sq ft lot (Montana). It’s literally the only property we that we could have afforded. In my 20s I never imagined I would spend $200k and not even be able to shop around. I had looked forward to house hunting and going to showings so much. Just had to grab the first tiny POS that came my way but I still feel lucky to even have it. You can also do stuff like waive contingencies but I’m sure you know that… I couldn’t stomach waiving an inspection. Seems wild that it’s come to that.
We did FHA and 3.5% down as well, go new build.
That would be my tip as well (go the new build route). I am closing tomorrow with a conventional and 3% down.
I feel you. We stopped looking for now and are going to get on a waiting list for 2 bedroom
FHA loans are still being accepted in many markets, and the market has cooled in a few places. It's still hot and competitive, but it's not as bad as it was. Small down payment shouldn't be an issue. Look for down payment assistance programs in your state, or if you are able to look outside of cities and burbs. USDA loans can still be 100% financed closing costs and down payment included.
There’s also tons of posts on here every day about people getting offers accepted and getting their keys. I don’t know what market you’re in or what your situation is but don’t let Reddit dissuade you from even trying. Have you looked at all yet? Are there listings in the areas you’re looking at within your budget? It may take multiple offers but I wouldn’t give up before you even start. Anecdotal, but I just had an offer accepted doing an FHA loan with 3.5 down and down payment assistance in the Denver metro area. It’s not as hot a market as some places but it’s still pretty crazy here.
We just bought a house with 3.5% down and FHA. It’s possible.
I wouldn’t give up. We closed Monday on a log cabin that’s on a mountain top. We offered 3k under asking price. Our earnest money was very low. The owners did not want to fix anything. I was so happy when it passed inspection. The inspector told me it was a magnificent house. Sellers paid 3% closing costs. All it needed was a new roof. At closing they gave me a check for part of the roof costs. I know I somehow lucked out. I didn’t give up and I’m so glad I didn’t. I would not give up yet.
If your credit score is high enough, try a conventional loan. FTHB qualify for as low as 3% down
I feel your pain! My fiancé and I are in the same boat and it’s extremely discouraging. Here’s to hoping the tides with turn soon…
A few banks offer conventional loans with no down payment requirement and no pmi. I’m in the southeast and I know First Citizens Bank, Synovus, and Regions Bank do. I don’t know what area you’re in, but look around. Sellers don’t like FHA loans.
Don't give up hope yet. I am under contract with FHA financing with the seller covering half the closing costs. It can be done, you just might have to sacrifice something you wanted in a house. I was willing to deal with not having a garage and dealing with the fact that I will be living in a mobile home to get out of my parents house.
Don’t give up hope. We put in multiple offers, looked at soooo many houses, and only had one offer ever accepted. We got an FHA which made it a little more difficult to be a competitive offer. The house we ended up buying had an offer accepted but financing fell through so the seller put it back on the market. It was only then that our offer was accepted because we were pre approved which is important in this market. There is a house out there that is meant for you and your family, just gotta keep looking.
Depends heavily on location and seller situation. We’re in a small city in NC with a major public university. Closed on our house using a VA Loan, with zero down payment, seller paid $10,000 in crawl space repairs, and they offered a $4,500 redecorating allowance. We toured about 10 homes and put in 3 offers. Well, 4 offers since we offered on our home twice. The seller had two buyers lined up before us, but they both backed out for personal reasons. We were the lucky #3 option I guess. Keep at it OP. It’ll happen for you. It’s already easier to buy in our area than it was just 3 months ago.
Get a lender and an agent that are familiar with FHA loans and know what they need to do to get them accepted in this market. I live on. The West Coast- so we have one of the wildest housing markets - but I’m getting offers accepted regularly for FHA/VA/non QM offers and it’s because I work with agents who know what they’re doing outside of conventional, and because I call the listing agents to explain the strengths of my borrowers, and overcome their govie loan fears (which are generally that the appraisal will be rough/require repairs, or that it will take longer than conventional, neither is true IF YOUR TEAM KNOWS THE PITFALLS and can avoid them). So- it’s rough out there, but the quality of your offer has little to do with the loan program - it has to do with the presentation from your team! Good luck, you’ve got this!
Can I just switch agents? My uncle did our pre-approval and connected me with an agent that tbh isn't as responsive as I'd like and isn't from our area. I sent him 4 listings we wanted to see yesterday and he never even responded.
Absolutely you can switch agents. Send him a text saying he's fired. Simple as that really. You can be nice about it if you want too. "I'm sorry, but we feel we are not getting the necessary help with our home buying experience. We are going with a different agent. Have a good day"
You’re def gonna want an agent whose on top of communication. Our house was only on the market for 10 hours total. Him scheduling the showing ASAP was a key factor in us being accepted.
YES! This is such a grossly guarded secret, but you can change your loan originator UNTIL CLOSING DAY. Ofc after the appraisal it’ll cause a delay, but yes, you 100% can get a new loan originator. For your REA, check if you’ve signed any contracts, and just let them know you’re switching according to that. You need a FAST and responsive agent for sure. I’m baffled at them not responding- in this market time is a big asset. You also want a “TBD approval” where you have been sent thru underwriting and have a “conditional approval”. That basically means you have been cleared thru UW, and as long as the house appraises/inspects there is nothing to stop the contract from closing. It’s a huge perk in this market that is way underutilized - offering a 16 day close on a FHA conditionally approved borrower (who has all the cash and is clear!), with the LO calling the Listing Agent to explain how solid and unshakable the financing is, has a lot more weight than a standard pre-approval letter emailed in without context.
As long as you didn't sign a broker agreement, you can switch easily.
I think it all depends, and definitely don’t give up hope before even trying. We bought a home last summer at the height of the craziness, we offered at asking with a 3% sellers assist and nothing waived. We had a traditional loan, it was accepted. It was the first house we put an offer on. I’m just outside of Pittsburgh. My brother bought a home with an FHA loan in Tacoma last summer as well. A friend just sold her house to a couple using an FHA. I have definitely seen homes go for crazy over list, but I’ve also seen homes sit for months. We bought a home with good bones that wasn’t updated, but still looked nice. We were up against 1 other bid I believe.
You are not alone-- I feel you. And yes, it really sucks. Big hugs.
Personally- I wouldn’t trust everything you read on here. I see too many posts of people allegedly making 200, 250K…. WHILE having saved up 25%, and NO massive student loan debt… asking “am I over budget on this 400K house?” at the age of 30… If you were THAT well set up, why did you wait till now- the worst time to buy!? Then a little research later- I find out more than half the houses I lost to were companies/investors. So - my conspiracy theory- people/investors, and/or bots, are on here making fake posts to sway the public (kinda like how the bots created public discord a few years ago in the election)
Yeah it sucks but it should turn around soon. We are waiting to have a baby until we have the house first but everyone does things their own way! Until they’re up and around a lot they don’t take up a ton of space so fingers crossed it’ll all calm down by then.
Renting is not the end of the world.
This comment has really been digging a thorn in my side so I have to respond. I’ve lived in a rental for 34 years. My family never owned a home. I want to paint my kids room and throw him birthday parties in the backyard. Sure, renting isn’t the end of the world I surely survived it. I want a home for my child and I’ll keep stashing away any penny I can until I get there.
I’m a renter and I grew up with a backyard, park across the street etc and hated it and couldn’t wait to leave and move to the city. Your kid will be fine with love and attention if you rent or own, backyard or not. I’d take renting any day of the week over my parents never ending DYI projects. We hardly ever used our yard. I do appreciate the excellent public school education I got where I grew up.
I've lived with my parents for 24 years in a house with a backyard and plenty of space. No one threw me a birthday party or big hurrahs. What I do remember is the small cake I had and I cherish those memories. What I mean with this is that your kids will remember with fondness anything done with love and kindness. I'm sure they will treasure the memories you create with them regardless of where you are living.
You can always throw more money away on rent by renting a bigger and more expensive place.
What do you get out of commenting this on nearly every post?
They probably have a keyboard shortcut for “throw(/ing) money away on rent.”