Bachelor Pad.

You're in LA right?

I really think you're better off buying instead of downgrading, if at all possible.

At the moment I'm not on my own, I rent a 2 bed apartment, but I'm moving some time next year. I looked at a few rentals just recently (thought I was going to move but ended up not) and even inland (San Gabriel, Pomona etc.) a decent 1 bed is between $800-1.1K, so now i'm 100% set on buying most likely a condo when I move out.

you're right that renting is a waste of funds, LA county & some cities provide first time home owners with grants for down payment & closing cost, some are $10-15K+, often free as long as you live in the condo/home for a certain time.

I wouldn't downgrade to a studio, unless you really have to. personally I do quite a bit of cooking & baking, studio kitchens tend to be built for midgets, lack of counter space etc...
A decent home here in an upper middle class will run you $1M easy. That's nothing to write home about too. Figure down is going to be at least 20%, I'm not comfortable doing that yet. Also, I'm not sure if I want to live here for the upcoming years. Just a year ago I was flying around the Midwest for potential opportunities. I'm still single and marketable so I want to take advantage of that.

I would never do the IE. I would do Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Irvine, Newport or parts of SD if I settle here.

I hear you on space. A friend has an apt in downtown. You can't open the oven and dishwasher simultaneously because they'll hit each other :lol
get bigger than you cam afford. a studio is a waste. plus it will be hard to unload. thing is, dont believe pics, go look at the unit itself.
Hard to unload? You bounce after the lease ends. I'm not copping it. I've looked at several studios before and they seem cool. I also like hitting up IKEA and see what they do with their 500-700 sq ft studio layouts. I work like 12-14 hours a week. I come home to knock out usually :lol

Saving the bread for when I'm ready to settle down.
 
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A decent home here in an upper middle class will run you $1M easy. That's nothing to write home about too.

Well, it's important to remember that there are such things as starter homes :lol

first time buyers are not dropping anywhere near $1M on their first home....even in LA, Pasadena etc..

i agree it's a good idea to take advantage of your talents, in that case it might be wise to downgrade and save more funds for traveling.


12-14 hr work week is dope though...
 
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Well, it's important to remember that there are such things as starter homes :lol

first time buyers are not dropping anywhere near $1M on their first home....even in LA, Pasadena etc..

i agree it's a good idea to take advantage of your talents, in that case it might be wise to downgrade and save more funds for traveling.


12-14 hr work week is dope though...
It was a typo, my friend. Supposed to say day. Yeah I know there are starter homes, but I'm not sure it's in the cards for me as of yet. Although HGTV got me feeling like Tim the Toolman sometimes :lol

I talk to my friends about this all the time. Cost of living in this state is just too high, especially in the Bay Area.

I appreciate your input nonetheless though. I traveled extensively for my last job and its crazy how even out there places like Rancho Cucamonga is nice now with new housings.

I did some homework a couple of years ago on booming cities like Houston and Atlanta...boy what $250-300k would you out there for a nice house. That's why I mentioned the moving around part.
 
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This might seem silly to y'all but for my thrift NT'rs lookin for nice cheap furniture get cool with folks at college hunks hauling junk or got junk..when I worked for them we used to come across all type of name brand stuff like Ethan Allen seriously..ask them to take pics of the furniture n if it's cool tell them bring it back to the warehouse n you'll pay them a couple bucks ...some might look down on it,but you never know what you might come across
 
A decent home here in an upper middle class will run you $1M easy. That's nothing to write home about too. Figure down is going to be at least 20%, I'm not comfortable doing that yet. Also, I'm not sure if I want to live here for the upcoming years. Just a year ago I was flying around the Midwest for potential opportunities. I'm still single and marketable so I want to take advantage of that.

I would never do the IE. I would do Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena, Irvine, Newport or parts of SD if I settle here.

I hear you on space. A friend has an apt in downtown. You can't open the oven and dishwasher simultaneously because they'll hit each other :lol
Hard to unload? You bounce after the lease ends. I'm not copping it. I've looked at several studios before and they seem cool. I also like hitting up IKEA and see what they do with their 500-700 sq ft studio layouts. I work like 12-14 hours a week. I come home to knock out usually :lol

Saving the bread for when I'm ready to settle down.

I meant to say that he should get the BIGGEST he could afford. If you are currently renting, it will take you forever to save up for a place of your own. I bought a 1 bed condo, as that was what I could afford on my own terms. But each payment I make out, I am building equity. Rent goes no where, unless you are about that life style, but why hassle trynna fix it up if you are gonna bounce later. Not saying you can‘t, but you dont gotta go all out. Each furnish, upgrade, or etc I do, I add value to my home.

I suggested to the dude.up there aboit da ranch because I was trynna present the idea of.cash flow to him.
 
Curious to know how the homie Wis pulls off a 14 hour work week. 8o

Don‘t know about others, but I often do 10-13 hours a day on the busy weeks. Comes out 50 or so, but it feels good to work hard, to appreciate what that you are earning as a man. There ain‘t short cuts, its just that people do not see the hard work people do in the back.
 
I would say that its been a struggle, I aint got no TV, no game system. I just use my computer and monitor. I swore to myself that I‘d get my priorties straight and that the entertainment stuff, coffee table stuff will come last. I am currently trynna find a legit desk.

Struggle is real for me, been using folding tables for about 2 years, folding table as desk, etc. Peep the home owner thread on NT.
 
NT what's a good way to determine whether you should continue to rent or go out and purchase?

In my situation, buying can incur a lot of fees, and I'm not ready for that yet. Renting comes with the flexibility, and I'm fairly young, so I honestly don't know what city imma end up In 3 years...and right now, my rent payment is about equal to a mortgage payment

Plus add the fact that I'm trynna get a new whip to add onto my current joint. I would feel a type of way having 2 cars but still paying rent in an apartment.

I really want to own my ****. But I don't want to have to accept a career across the country then have to worry about renting my purchased home out to some tenant who may or may not pay their rent. Feel me?

What should I do? Not to mention that if I do purchase, it may be on some FHA 3.5 down payment or 100% financing program. And with those programs there are limits to how long you gotta stay in the home before you sell.

But if I continue to rent, how will I even be able to afford a home mortgage if I'm throwing money down the drain?

I just want to live comfortably and not bite off too much to chew
 
NT what's a good way to determine whether you should continue to rent or go out and purchase?

In my situation, buying can incur a lot of fees, and I'm not ready for that yet. Renting comes with the flexibility, and I'm fairly young, so I honestly don't know what city imma end up In 3 years...and right now, my rent payment is about equal to a mortgage payment

Plus add the fact that I'm trynna get a new whip to add onto my current joint. I would feel a type of way having 2 cars but still paying rent in an apartment.

I really want to own my ****. But I don't want to have to accept a career across the country then have to worry about renting my purchased home out to some tenant who may or may not pay their rent. Feel me?

What should I do? Not to mention that if I do purchase, it may be on some FHA 3.5 down payment or 100% financing program. And with those programs there are limits to how long you gotta stay in the home before you sell.

But if I continue to rent, how will I even be able to afford a home mortgage if I'm throwing money down the drain?

I just want to live comfortably and not bite off too much to chew

You are basically answering your own questions.

You don't have the money for closing fees to buy. You don't have the money to even make a down payment. Basically, you don't even have enough savings.

You are trying to get another car for what reason?

You sound like you are already biting off more than you can chew if you can't fill either criteria to purchase.

You need to live below your lifestyle and save money if you are considering on purchasing. POINT BLANK.

Good luck.
 
Curious to know how the homie Wis pulls off a 14 hour work week. 8o

Don‘t know about others, but I often do 10-13 hours a day on the busy weeks. Comes out 50 or so, but it feels good to work hard, to appreciate what that you are earning as a man. There ain‘t short cuts, its just that people do not see the hard work people do in the back.

He wrote week when he meant to write day thats why everybody is commenting on it
 
I think most folks in bigger cities go the small apartment route because rent is killer. I'm in SoCal and nice apartments around the 700 sq ft can easily surpass $3k in rent in nicer areas. In a sub-middle class or lower middle class area, it's around $1-1.3k per month.

My friend up in the Bay is commuting like 30 mins to work to get a lower priced apartment (1 bedroom at $1700 per month). Reason why I never entertained relocating up there though it's mad nice :lol

I refuse to pay over $2k per month for rent (essentially throwing money away) so I need to finesse it.


How do you dudes store ironing board? It's gonna be hard with a studio unless you have it on a hinge that can be lowered/raised from the wall. I know I need cubicle dividers to store my clothes already. I also like to read a lot of books, may have to go the e-reader route, which I really dislike.
yeah... 2K is my breaking point...

it becomes then "why arent you just buying something"
 
yeah... 2K is my breaking point...

it becomes then "why arent you just buying something"

Same mentality I got. I go for a spot with $1700 rent, then I think to myself "why didn't I just buy a place and get a $1600 mortgage" then I'm in a dilemma, end up on Trulia looking at houses for sale, then eventually get distracted and find myself infront of my TV with my laptop attached via HDMI cable, and my **** in my hand :{
 
I had the same thought about renting vs. buying after watching some standup act where dude went in on an audience member for not owning anything.

You gotta look at buying a house as a long term commitment. No guareentee you'd sell it easy if you ready to move. Something breaks? You gotta find someone and pay to fix it. Routine maintenance. Property tax. HOA fees. Usually more space to furnish than rental property.

Choosing between being a home owner or a renter is so much more than just looking at rent vs. mortgage payments.
 
the bank really OWNS that **** 99% of the time.... 

if someone can remove you from it, you don't own it. 
 
For the single cats who stay solo: you guys ever thought about doing a studio? I've been thinking lately from a 1 bedroom. I think spacing can be cool if you lay out correctly. I'm rarely at home and don't really have big gatherings.

It'll take less energy to heat and cool the place. Cleaning will take less time too. I've done my research and saving is only about $300 or so a month. Wouldn't be the primary reason for scaling down. Until I'm hitched, I'm rolling with the minimalist set up. No grand piano or anything yet to take up mad space. Lol.
I went from a 1 bedroom to a studio. Best decision I have ever made. In my one bedroom, the bedroom was just my closet. In my studio now I have my bed separated from the living space by a bookshelf. I have a TV mounted on the wall, and it can be watched from my "living space" or I can rotate to where I can watch it from my bed. I save 300 dollars a month on just rent, and about another 60-80 dollars on the electric bill. For a struggling brother like myself, downsizing really helped. 
 
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