Originally Posted by iBarna
Ah, the own vs. rent debate. As you can guess, I'm a renter. And as a non American, I do think that Americans have a big obsession with "owning" a house. I dunno... I'm simply not much interested in signing a mortgage so that I can own a house in 30 years and perhaps make some money with reselling it. I'm happy to live off a salary and actually think that I'm safer this way than with such a long term investment. I can move / change / adapt on a moment's notice with little hassle. I easily stay ahead of the curve so to speak.
What surprises me though even more than the American "I need to own" is the reactions I get when they learn that I rent and have no interest in owning a house. They look at me like I'm crazy. I don't know, my life philosophy is quite common in Europe... many people are like that. Many peole live their lives, even raise families while renting.
I may own a house at one point. I'm not diametrically opposed to the idea. But for now I see no reason.
Lets see. Bought my house for 80,000 and today it will be paid off in 7 years and as of today its worth around 600,000. Thats called a long term investment. Nobody tells me to turn down my music,i dont here anybody else but me having sex,i always have a place to park and a garage to work in,my rules,not somebody eles.