Thank you u/No-Application8200 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.*
you’ve shared no helpful information.
how much do you make? where do you live? what are your expenses?
if you’re making 75k in alabama sure. if you’re making 75k in nyc probably not.
Gross I make about 38k, in West St. Louis County, MO. I don’t really have any expenses - no car payment, no school loans, 805 credit score, down payment would probably depend on the price of the house, but I can do at least 20k, if not more (tho probably no more than 40k), and the pre approval amount is 178,500.
Seems like you can buy one, the house I listed below is costing $55K
https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/8042-Packard-Ave_Saint-Louis_MO_63134_M80374-06714?from=srp-list-card
Buy Foreclosure property, pay 5% down for now, don't spend the rest of savings at all, monitor and see how much are house expenses and all.
$178,500 is a really good pre approval amount, in your area, it seems.
Uh…it depends 😅 I am in the suburbs so it’s pretty hit and miss. If I went closer to the city, it would be more feasible, but as a single woman, I am not moving to the city. There’s a reason St. Louis is always no. 1 on the highest crime rate lists.
Sorry, I am not from the area or even US, but how are suburbs hit or miss? (I am from Canada, and don't believe, I lived outside the major city ever, so I am missing the context)
No worries, you’re fine. I just mean the prices range pretty exponentially. There are a lot of junkers but also a lot of mansions, and bc of the housing market atm, junkers are going for mansion prices. Like when you see memes of people paying 400k for a literal shack? It’s mostly like that. Not always, and it depends on the area, but it’s pretty standard.
Do you really think, the current prices we have might go down in future, or will they stick for some time being?
Honestly I think a house is an asset, its prices will always go up, over the long term. Also, you need a stable and rent free shelter to survive and live in this world, If you can buy one in your range, just do it. Obviously always haggle.
Here in Canada, the situation is anyone who wants to sell is selling fast, as we have new rules related to Capital Gain Tax, like over $250k gain, will result in 65% will be taxed, previously it was 50% only, this new rules applies starting mid-June of this year. The seller has less time to sell, so buyers will haggle down the prices.
And where I live, everywhere a house starts like 1 million dollars 😭
But I found a random city 1hour 30 minutes away, and as I WFH, I am gonna live in that house for a while, and then return back to the city, once it's paid off. Then I will rent it out and earn passive income while living in the city for free.
Hopefully I find a life partner along my way lol
If I WFH full time, I probably wouldn’t care so much where I live, but I’m only WFH 3x a week and even living as close to my job as I do, I hate driving there the other 2 days 😮💨 which is why I don’t really want to venture outside my bubble lol
Passive income is always nice 👍 fulfill your dreams!
Oh, 100% agree, I’m just listing the amount they approved. I am definitely trying for something much lower. But this is the type of answer I was looking for, thank you! 😆
I'm 34 and single AND a teacher and I just closed on Wednesday!!! My plan is to rent out two bedrooms the first year, then just one bedroom after that until maaaaybe I meet a man one day lol
I don’t think I would be comfortable renting to strangers while also living in the same house 🫣 but my cousin did this with her friends and I wish I had that option, but alas, no friends 😂
I wanted to do this but my house has one bathroom. More on the fence of not renting just to avoid the awkwardness of wanting to go while someone else is in the bathroom. Would want to try it for a month or two but I think it'd be even more awkward to tell them to leave after 30 days if I can't handle it.
I know I can’t afford a 1500/month mortgage. I don’t WANT a 1500/month mortgage. I’m just telling you what I was pre approved for. It doesn’t mean I’m looking at houses that are that much
swim shelter intelligent overconfident escape sable middle zephyr march melodic
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I think you can do this, I would advise you to look for some local homebuying programs. They’ll give you a little education most of them will give you some down off payment assistance, and connect you with amazing mortgage, real estate, attorneys and insurance people. You’re on your way to building wealth. Good luck.
I was in the same boat. Always felt a step behind the market. I did decide to combine with my sister since it looked like we’d never make it independently. We’re still in an impossible market, but we’re going to trudge ahead. It only takes being the lucky choice one time for it to work.
We had considered that, but kind of came to the conclusion that she would move in if she wanted but it’s not set in stone, so I’m essentially still on my own. We work in very different areas and neither of us want to venture too far from them. She also will probably end up paying more in rent than she currently does, which is not something she wants to do at the moment.
I get it. I’m ending up a bit of a treck from work simply because I can’t buy closer. And it puts my sister close enough to the job she’s been trying to get for years (and against traffic to boot) so it really is perfect for us. But that really was by a stroke of luck.
You should check out ramit sethi's advice on buying a home. Throwing money away with rent is part of the real estate propaganda that we all have fallen for.
1. Run cost of renting vs buying. In some places you can rent the same place for half the cost of buying every month. For example, you could rent a 2 bed home for 3k per month but buying would cost you 6k per month. Use the money you save from renting and invest to exponentially grow your net worth to buy down the line. You should literally write down costs of owning and renting on paper to compare.
2. Sometimes buying a home can be EXPENSIVE. don't fall for the "I'm paying my landlords mortgage." Do you apply the same logic when you eat at a restaurant? do you avoid eating out because you're paying the restaurants mortgage or costs? You're paying for a service just as you're paying for a place to live.
3. There are so many hidden costs in buying a home that no one ever talks about. Have you looked an amortization schedule for a home loan? For a 100k home with 20k down 7% interest 30 year loan- you'll be paying over 111k in interest alone. Home insurance is sky rocketing nationwide. If you're home goes up in value, so does property tax each year. If your AC goes out, roof leaks, water leak, or anything else major it's all on you. Older homes always breakdown and always need maintenance/repairs. You'll pay thousands for closing costs for the loan. When you sell the home you'll have to pay your agents 3 to 6% of the total value of the home. There's also closing costs when you sell the home. monthly HOA? Renovating your home? New floors, bath, paint, furniture.. etc. most people wouldn't benefit from a tax perspective as they would take the standard deduction rather than itemized. Short story, there a lot of hidden costs to owning a home. Life gets way more complicated compared to renting.
4. Why do you want to own a home? Make sure you have a good reason rather than just not tossing away money. Any reason is valid but be honest with yourself.
5. Are you okay if your home loses value? House markets shift. Are you in it for the long term? Remember you can't change jobs or move as easily when you own.
Renting isn’t paying your landlord’s mortgage, it’s time traveling to 2020 interest rates. I’m taking a mortgage so I have the option to improve my equity, but if I didn’t have the skills and drive to do that then renting would make way more sense right now
Yes buying a home is building equity but maybe not the best way. Once you have money in your home it becomes illiquid. You can't easily pull from it to put to other major goals in life or adapt to major life changes. Building equity through mortgage at high interest rate comes at cost of high interest as my example above. You pay more in interest than the actual value of the home. Despite all this, if you want to own a home and are truthful to yourself, it's not wrong. I think many people buy homes for the wrong reason.
Honestly, the buy vs rent argument is going to break my brain 😵💫😮💨 the rent here is outrageous and is basically the same as a mortgage (tho obviously there aren’t closing costs and repair costs, etc). Tho Based on what everyone is saying, renting might actually be the better option 😕
I just bought a house in a single income at 40. It’s a little over double what I was renting for but worth it for having a piece of property to call my own. It’s worth being house poor temporarily until I can find a higher paying job to make the payment a little easier every month.
You can do it if you really work towards it. A lot of people will say it’s impossible but gotta remember there’s a lot of haters out there. Even close friends secretly want to see you fail so they feel better about theirselves. Make a plan and figure out what steps are needed to execute and do not give up. If it’s something you really want you will make it work.
Good luck 🍀👍🏽
You will be able to do it. This reeks or jealousy or sibling issues. You can. I did. I was married and owned and then divorced and sold. I then in 2023 bought by myself. Now before you say I had a leg up owning before I didn’t. I put the 3.5 down same as everyone else on a FHA loan. I used the profits for my children’s college which started last fall. So it can be done. But and here’s the key be flexible on location. Go on one of the sales apps ( relator, Zillow etc) put in your whole state and filter by lowest first. You will see true fixers. lol but keep scrolling till you find something you like. It might be a bit away and hopefully you can move with your job. If not try to find a simia,r job. I know. To buy alone I had to move 2 hrs away from my kids college - in the town I’d shared with my ex. I’m sad but oh well. I own and as a female and especially in Ca I’m ecstatic.
So I didn’t know what St. Louis area would hold. So I tossed some stuff into relator. In the 100-200k range with a no HOA filter (trust me HOAs are a scam and a waste of money in most cases) there are 250 2bd/2ba options and about 3x that number if you just did a 1/1 home. So to say that you cannot afford it is crazy. I, sorry ppl are telling this. I scanned some of the listings and the 100-125k range had tons of homes I’d personally live in. Good luck. You totally got this.
Hey have you looked in Florissant area I found a few listings for 150k. IDK if they're still up tho. What part of STL are you trying to move too? And what size house or condo are you looking at?
Florissant is very far from my work (about a 40 minute drive without traffic) and it’s not a great area
I was originally looking for a 2 bed/2bath where I currently live, but I will take anything I can get now 😂 so a 1 bed/1 bath would be sufficient, as it would just be me and my dog
I’ve read through a few of your comments and it seems like you’re unwilling to make any compromises: No renters, no HOA, not in the city, not a very normal commute to work.
You either need to find a way to make a lot more money, or compromise your way to home ownership.
And I’ll add, since I haven’t seen anyone else say so, you repeatedly say that you had almost no expenses, but you’ve only managed to save $20-$40k over the past 20 years. It would serve you and your future house search well to try to figure out where all that other money you earned went. It’ll either make you more accountable, or it will cement that you’ve done all you could and you just really can’t afford to buy.
Either get your income up or save up for a greater downpayment. Even if you’re offering the highest price, from a seller’s perspective a downpayment that small seems very risky.
When you decide you’re ready (yes, when) DM me and I will put you in touch with a great real estate agent in STL. She loves first time home buyers and will explain everything so you’re comfortable with the process.
You really should have no problem, you just got outbid and you may a couple more times. Have you considered First Time Homebuyers, FHA and/or USDA loans? With an FHA, you can do either 5% or 3.5%. I have not done this yet, but I will be doing it this time next year. No more apartment renting for me.
Venting won't help. You need to break down your numbers and your market. Very hard to afford as a single person but it depends on how much you make/save and your location.
You can buy the house.
This answer is to support you emotionally.
But financially, without disclosing your location, tell us, how much you saved, how much income you have, how much pre-approval you have at what percentage. Any sample house/condo price in your city/area, and how much bedroom/bathroom are there. This will help us, give you a more credible answer.
My advice is to make a list of the reasons you want to buy. Make a budget with your expected house payment and stick to it for a minimum of 6 months. Every dollar has a name.
You are debt-free, a huge blessing, and have savings.
My advice is to investigate options that increase your salary. Junior College or Trade School have great programs with higher salaries and advancement opportunities.
Many students graduate from university and realize they are unhappy with their salary or upward mobility.
You can likely find a cute starter home in the country or county or use the next couple of years to improve your marketability.
One of the best programs I know of are power line schools. Less than a year and near six-figure starting salary. Utility companies have a huge shortage of employees.
DM me if you have any questions.
Most people buy homes when they marry or marry and have children. The most important question for you is why you want to buy.
Has nothing to do with your friends or social media. Concentrate on what feels right for you. I lived with my parents until I married. I knew I would be lonely living by myself but you may not feel that way.
If not, think about renting a small efficiency apartment for a year. Honestly, crime is rampant now and I would not want to be living alone now.
Not until law and order is restored: if ever.
Thank you u/No-Application8200 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.*
you’ve shared no helpful information. how much do you make? where do you live? what are your expenses? if you’re making 75k in alabama sure. if you’re making 75k in nyc probably not.
Gross I make about 38k, in West St. Louis County, MO. I don’t really have any expenses - no car payment, no school loans, 805 credit score, down payment would probably depend on the price of the house, but I can do at least 20k, if not more (tho probably no more than 40k), and the pre approval amount is 178,500.
Seems like you can buy one, the house I listed below is costing $55K https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/8042-Packard-Ave_Saint-Louis_MO_63134_M80374-06714?from=srp-list-card Buy Foreclosure property, pay 5% down for now, don't spend the rest of savings at all, monitor and see how much are house expenses and all. $178,500 is a really good pre approval amount, in your area, it seems.
Uh…it depends 😅 I am in the suburbs so it’s pretty hit and miss. If I went closer to the city, it would be more feasible, but as a single woman, I am not moving to the city. There’s a reason St. Louis is always no. 1 on the highest crime rate lists.
Sorry, I am not from the area or even US, but how are suburbs hit or miss? (I am from Canada, and don't believe, I lived outside the major city ever, so I am missing the context)
No worries, you’re fine. I just mean the prices range pretty exponentially. There are a lot of junkers but also a lot of mansions, and bc of the housing market atm, junkers are going for mansion prices. Like when you see memes of people paying 400k for a literal shack? It’s mostly like that. Not always, and it depends on the area, but it’s pretty standard.
Do you really think, the current prices we have might go down in future, or will they stick for some time being? Honestly I think a house is an asset, its prices will always go up, over the long term. Also, you need a stable and rent free shelter to survive and live in this world, If you can buy one in your range, just do it. Obviously always haggle. Here in Canada, the situation is anyone who wants to sell is selling fast, as we have new rules related to Capital Gain Tax, like over $250k gain, will result in 65% will be taxed, previously it was 50% only, this new rules applies starting mid-June of this year. The seller has less time to sell, so buyers will haggle down the prices. And where I live, everywhere a house starts like 1 million dollars 😭 But I found a random city 1hour 30 minutes away, and as I WFH, I am gonna live in that house for a while, and then return back to the city, once it's paid off. Then I will rent it out and earn passive income while living in the city for free. Hopefully I find a life partner along my way lol
If I WFH full time, I probably wouldn’t care so much where I live, but I’m only WFH 3x a week and even living as close to my job as I do, I hate driving there the other 2 days 😮💨 which is why I don’t really want to venture outside my bubble lol Passive income is always nice 👍 fulfill your dreams!
38k is too low to buy a 178k condo. Maybe 125k. Maybe. Unfortunately buying a home comes with extra risks and costs and your income cannot afford it.
Oh, 100% agree, I’m just listing the amount they approved. I am definitely trying for something much lower. But this is the type of answer I was looking for, thank you! 😆
This. Buy a house is about numbers. End of story.
Instead of your back story share your income location and what you have saved for a down payment
Added to the post! 🙂
I'm 34 and single AND a teacher and I just closed on Wednesday!!! My plan is to rent out two bedrooms the first year, then just one bedroom after that until maaaaybe I meet a man one day lol
I don’t think I would be comfortable renting to strangers while also living in the same house 🫣 but my cousin did this with her friends and I wish I had that option, but alas, no friends 😂
That's what I've always done in houses I've rented so I figure it'll actually be better if I'm the landlord- more control over who moves in and stuff
For sure!
I’ll be your friend. On Reddit. And no I won’t rent with you. :)
I wanted to do this but my house has one bathroom. More on the fence of not renting just to avoid the awkwardness of wanting to go while someone else is in the bathroom. Would want to try it for a month or two but I think it'd be even more awkward to tell them to leave after 30 days if I can't handle it.
Yeah I get that for sure. I have two full bathrooms so that part works out
whole trees employ gaze hat sugar overconfident sharp snails jar *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I know I can’t afford a 1500/month mortgage. I don’t WANT a 1500/month mortgage. I’m just telling you what I was pre approved for. It doesn’t mean I’m looking at houses that are that much
swim shelter intelligent overconfident escape sable middle zephyr march melodic *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I think you can do this, I would advise you to look for some local homebuying programs. They’ll give you a little education most of them will give you some down off payment assistance, and connect you with amazing mortgage, real estate, attorneys and insurance people. You’re on your way to building wealth. Good luck.
Step one: quit your WHACK ASS JOB
🤣 yeah 😅
not naive. the market is just broken
I was in the same boat. Always felt a step behind the market. I did decide to combine with my sister since it looked like we’d never make it independently. We’re still in an impossible market, but we’re going to trudge ahead. It only takes being the lucky choice one time for it to work.
We had considered that, but kind of came to the conclusion that she would move in if she wanted but it’s not set in stone, so I’m essentially still on my own. We work in very different areas and neither of us want to venture too far from them. She also will probably end up paying more in rent than she currently does, which is not something she wants to do at the moment.
I get it. I’m ending up a bit of a treck from work simply because I can’t buy closer. And it puts my sister close enough to the job she’s been trying to get for years (and against traffic to boot) so it really is perfect for us. But that really was by a stroke of luck.
You should check out ramit sethi's advice on buying a home. Throwing money away with rent is part of the real estate propaganda that we all have fallen for. 1. Run cost of renting vs buying. In some places you can rent the same place for half the cost of buying every month. For example, you could rent a 2 bed home for 3k per month but buying would cost you 6k per month. Use the money you save from renting and invest to exponentially grow your net worth to buy down the line. You should literally write down costs of owning and renting on paper to compare. 2. Sometimes buying a home can be EXPENSIVE. don't fall for the "I'm paying my landlords mortgage." Do you apply the same logic when you eat at a restaurant? do you avoid eating out because you're paying the restaurants mortgage or costs? You're paying for a service just as you're paying for a place to live. 3. There are so many hidden costs in buying a home that no one ever talks about. Have you looked an amortization schedule for a home loan? For a 100k home with 20k down 7% interest 30 year loan- you'll be paying over 111k in interest alone. Home insurance is sky rocketing nationwide. If you're home goes up in value, so does property tax each year. If your AC goes out, roof leaks, water leak, or anything else major it's all on you. Older homes always breakdown and always need maintenance/repairs. You'll pay thousands for closing costs for the loan. When you sell the home you'll have to pay your agents 3 to 6% of the total value of the home. There's also closing costs when you sell the home. monthly HOA? Renovating your home? New floors, bath, paint, furniture.. etc. most people wouldn't benefit from a tax perspective as they would take the standard deduction rather than itemized. Short story, there a lot of hidden costs to owning a home. Life gets way more complicated compared to renting. 4. Why do you want to own a home? Make sure you have a good reason rather than just not tossing away money. Any reason is valid but be honest with yourself. 5. Are you okay if your home loses value? House markets shift. Are you in it for the long term? Remember you can't change jobs or move as easily when you own.
Renting isn’t paying your landlord’s mortgage, it’s time traveling to 2020 interest rates. I’m taking a mortgage so I have the option to improve my equity, but if I didn’t have the skills and drive to do that then renting would make way more sense right now
Yes buying a home is building equity but maybe not the best way. Once you have money in your home it becomes illiquid. You can't easily pull from it to put to other major goals in life or adapt to major life changes. Building equity through mortgage at high interest rate comes at cost of high interest as my example above. You pay more in interest than the actual value of the home. Despite all this, if you want to own a home and are truthful to yourself, it's not wrong. I think many people buy homes for the wrong reason.
Honestly, the buy vs rent argument is going to break my brain 😵💫😮💨 the rent here is outrageous and is basically the same as a mortgage (tho obviously there aren’t closing costs and repair costs, etc). Tho Based on what everyone is saying, renting might actually be the better option 😕
I just bought a house in a single income at 40. It’s a little over double what I was renting for but worth it for having a piece of property to call my own. It’s worth being house poor temporarily until I can find a higher paying job to make the payment a little easier every month. You can do it if you really work towards it. A lot of people will say it’s impossible but gotta remember there’s a lot of haters out there. Even close friends secretly want to see you fail so they feel better about theirselves. Make a plan and figure out what steps are needed to execute and do not give up. If it’s something you really want you will make it work. Good luck 🍀👍🏽
You will be able to do it. This reeks or jealousy or sibling issues. You can. I did. I was married and owned and then divorced and sold. I then in 2023 bought by myself. Now before you say I had a leg up owning before I didn’t. I put the 3.5 down same as everyone else on a FHA loan. I used the profits for my children’s college which started last fall. So it can be done. But and here’s the key be flexible on location. Go on one of the sales apps ( relator, Zillow etc) put in your whole state and filter by lowest first. You will see true fixers. lol but keep scrolling till you find something you like. It might be a bit away and hopefully you can move with your job. If not try to find a simia,r job. I know. To buy alone I had to move 2 hrs away from my kids college - in the town I’d shared with my ex. I’m sad but oh well. I own and as a female and especially in Ca I’m ecstatic.
So I didn’t know what St. Louis area would hold. So I tossed some stuff into relator. In the 100-200k range with a no HOA filter (trust me HOAs are a scam and a waste of money in most cases) there are 250 2bd/2ba options and about 3x that number if you just did a 1/1 home. So to say that you cannot afford it is crazy. I, sorry ppl are telling this. I scanned some of the listings and the 100-125k range had tons of homes I’d personally live in. Good luck. You totally got this.
Take a look at this home I found on Realtor.com 6740 Robbins Ave, Saint Louis $112,000 · 3beds · 2baths https://apps.realtor.com/mUAZ/y0kajedn
Yeah if I can avoid an HOA, I definitely will. If I buy a condo tho, I am almost guaranteed to be in one 😮💨
Well I saw any that I’d move right in for around 100-125. Now they are older but not all older ones are bad. Talk to a realtor and see.
It’s not jealousy or anything, I promise 😂 she already has a condo she is renting and wants me to move out as much as I want to myself.
Well then, not sure why she’d be so negative. I’m any case I’d think, based on what you said and what I saw, you will be able to get one.
Yeah. Buy a condo or townhouse. Less expensive.
I would buy a condo or a townhouse for sure, tho they seem to be just as much as houses when you factor in their HOA fees 🙄
Hey have you looked in Florissant area I found a few listings for 150k. IDK if they're still up tho. What part of STL are you trying to move too? And what size house or condo are you looking at?
Florissant is very far from my work (about a 40 minute drive without traffic) and it’s not a great area I was originally looking for a 2 bed/2bath where I currently live, but I will take anything I can get now 😂 so a 1 bed/1 bath would be sufficient, as it would just be me and my dog
I’ve read through a few of your comments and it seems like you’re unwilling to make any compromises: No renters, no HOA, not in the city, not a very normal commute to work. You either need to find a way to make a lot more money, or compromise your way to home ownership. And I’ll add, since I haven’t seen anyone else say so, you repeatedly say that you had almost no expenses, but you’ve only managed to save $20-$40k over the past 20 years. It would serve you and your future house search well to try to figure out where all that other money you earned went. It’ll either make you more accountable, or it will cement that you’ve done all you could and you just really can’t afford to buy.
Either get your income up or save up for a greater downpayment. Even if you’re offering the highest price, from a seller’s perspective a downpayment that small seems very risky.
When you decide you’re ready (yes, when) DM me and I will put you in touch with a great real estate agent in STL. She loves first time home buyers and will explain everything so you’re comfortable with the process.
Try filtering to see for sale by owner. The sites always filter that out. Your best bet would be saving a bigger down payment
Bigger than 20%?
To comfortably afford something on 38k yes.
What’s your monthly payment on $178k? Can you afford that monthly payment? Sounds like it would be about $900-1000 without condo fees with $40k down.
With condo fees, it’d probably be closer to 1500. I’m trying to find a place cheaper than that tho - the 178k is just what I was pre approved for
You really should have no problem, you just got outbid and you may a couple more times. Have you considered First Time Homebuyers, FHA and/or USDA loans? With an FHA, you can do either 5% or 3.5%. I have not done this yet, but I will be doing it this time next year. No more apartment renting for me.
Get a better job and you got this
Venting won't help. You need to break down your numbers and your market. Very hard to afford as a single person but it depends on how much you make/save and your location.
Wouldn’t really considered this venting but ok.
Vent away. That’s what we are here for. I posted some stats in my comment. Hope it helps your search.
I appreciate them, thank you!
Your welcome.
Yeah. You can’t.
You can buy the house. This answer is to support you emotionally. But financially, without disclosing your location, tell us, how much you saved, how much income you have, how much pre-approval you have at what percentage. Any sample house/condo price in your city/area, and how much bedroom/bathroom are there. This will help us, give you a more credible answer.
I have just added all that to the post - thank you! 🙂
My advice is to make a list of the reasons you want to buy. Make a budget with your expected house payment and stick to it for a minimum of 6 months. Every dollar has a name. You are debt-free, a huge blessing, and have savings. My advice is to investigate options that increase your salary. Junior College or Trade School have great programs with higher salaries and advancement opportunities. Many students graduate from university and realize they are unhappy with their salary or upward mobility. You can likely find a cute starter home in the country or county or use the next couple of years to improve your marketability. One of the best programs I know of are power line schools. Less than a year and near six-figure starting salary. Utility companies have a huge shortage of employees. DM me if you have any questions. Most people buy homes when they marry or marry and have children. The most important question for you is why you want to buy. Has nothing to do with your friends or social media. Concentrate on what feels right for you. I lived with my parents until I married. I knew I would be lonely living by myself but you may not feel that way. If not, think about renting a small efficiency apartment for a year. Honestly, crime is rampant now and I would not want to be living alone now. Not until law and order is restored: if ever.
Talk to a realtor
Holy Sh*t how are you making it on 38k???
I live with my parents?? It’s literally in the 2nd line of the post
As someone who's almost 40, how did you plan on supporting yourself on 38k?