The Shoutbox
can't live inside a goldfish.
I should have gotten a goldfish.
As someone who has a 80 lb dog I have found that there is no such thing as renting below means. Most places here won’t even consider you and, if they do, it’s going to cost 30% more than whatever the place is worth.
Originally Posted by Yoda
It's a good decision overall/long-term, but yeah, just not immediately in most places.

But owning over renting is definitely the way to go.
Not so fast my friend! One example would be all the people who bought at the peak of the last housing bubble. There is also the argument for renting (below your means) and investing the difference, in addition to the “time is money” aspect of no maintenance.

Sure, just renting forever isn’t optimal.
Ideally, whatever I end up moving to I want it to be new/newish. Probably going to spend the next 20-30 years there, so I don't wanna hate it.
Buy a used camper?
I'd be looking to build a 800sqft house on a 1-2 acre lot. Based on the estimates I have in front of me that would be right around $160k.

I wonder if I could get that price down with cardboard walls.
My commute is primarily across town by way of back roads, but the extra commute would be farm land and S bends.
Yeah, an extra 20 minutes down the road from where I am now would bring my commute to about 50-60 minutes, which I do not mind at all. Since it would put the property in another county with cheaper property taxes.
*mind
That drive, for me, depends on what I'm driving through. The first 12 years or so at my current job had me driving highway traffic for a solid 20 minutes one way. That was a 45-minute trip, one way, but the highway speeds were relaxing and gave me time to mellow out and clear my before and after work. Now, my drive is about 25 minutes total but that entire drive is straight through downtown. Yeah, I'm pretty wound up by the time I get in now. I prefer the distance!