Rent vs. Buy

I have done a lot of research on buying a house, and James and I have had many, many discussions about it. We have mostly decided the how/when/where/why/what of that whole issue, which won't happen for at least a few more years. We both know that is the right decision for us, so I'm not really debating this issue anymore, but...

I still want to buy a house anyway. I am guilty of frequently looking at real estate listings and pictures and telling James about what I find. I want to be able to relax in a room all by myself. (This is currently impossible living with two pets and another person in a one-bedroom apartment.) I want to have a spare bedroom so I can have houseguests (and a place for tubs of yarn and sewing stuff). I want a big kitchen with a pantry where James and I can both fit simultaneously. James wants a backyard where the dogs he plans to adopt can play and run around. I also want to have a vegetable garden and maybe even a chicken or two. I think of all these things most days and dream about the future in our multiple-bedroom house with a yard.

And then some days, like today, I am so thankful that we just rent an apartment. I came home at lunch to find some of the carpet ripped up in the dining room with a fan blowing on the damp sub-flooring. The apartment complex's maintenance man explained that the leak I called about yesterday meant that the part of the wall between my apartment and the one behind ours was water-damaged and would have to be repaired over the next few days. Fun. And then I think about how our building's water heater crapped out last month. And about how many times I've called this guy to come fix plumbing issues and replace the garbage disposal. And about the microwave going haywire. And how I never really worry about any of that stuff, because I just call this guy, and he fixes everything, no problem.

So, yeah, I don't look forward to the maintenance and resulting added expenses of owning a home. And reminding myself of this every so often makes it a little easier to be content renting until the time is right.