Should a single man buy a house?

It's all about you and your interests. House or not has nothing to do with being single. A house ties you closer to the land if you like that. A house returns value as equity if you maintain it. It does not limit your social life. My folks generation all had suburban houses and partied like crazy. My present family prefers more solitude so were heading for a home in a rural area. Playing in the dirt is a joy for me so a house was the best option. It is what you make of it.

I bought one when I was single. My goals were to finish my Dr. and live the single life for 5 years before looking to settle down. Met my wife after that 5yrs and sold the house for around 70k profit after owning it for 3 years. So it was an investment for me.

No! Fight the patriarchy!

I would. I’d renovate one room into a golf simulator. Push the ceiling up to 15-20 feet. Widen the room. And build a beautiful simulator. Make some space for a fridge and heck why not a kitchen too. Just sit there 16 hours a day eating, drinking, and golfing. Can’t beat that life.

your life is boring as hell man. All you do is post on letsrun and you're always here. Stfu no one has any respect for you.

Several on this thread have highlighted the immense amount of work to maintain and improve a house. Running 12 miles on a Saturday is also a lot of work, as are hill workouts, track workouts, etc. I would not suggest buying a house if you do not see the value in doing some regular maintenance & occasional improvements. From my perspective, it is rewarding and even therapeutic - just as running is. And, while you are single is, in some ways, the best time to buy: you can buy a small house in a nicer neighborhood and such investments usually appreciate much better than larger homes in mediocre neighborhoods. Once you have a family, that is often what you need to settle for in order to have enough space for the family. Pluses and minuses either way, though.

I'm a 38 year old guy with a family but when I was younger and renting, I lived in a very cool area, met my wife, had loads of friends within walking distance. My rent was super high, but i don't think id trade it for anything. I could have bought in the suburbs, and likely I'd be a lot better off financially, but I think there was enormous upside of renting when I was young and single.

That being said, right now mortgage rates are an advantage to anyone who can put down a large down payment, and/or 15 year mortgage. Most inventory is moving a lot slower and you have your pick more so than 2 years ago. If you can buy a 2 bed condo in a hip area and rent the other room out, that would be ideal route. I would not recommend buying a house in a suburban or remote area.

It's also very likely when you settle down, that your partner will want to live elsewhere.

"Taredowns" given your tolerance for living if a really rundown house, can be a great investment. You actually don't have to do too much maitenance (beyond what is absolutely necessary in terms of cheap patchwork). You basically let the house go, live in it for 3-5 years, until you can't tolerate it anymore, and then sell it as a real taredown that actually gets torn down. The property appreciates because the only value is in the land and you get free rent minus expenses. But you really have to have a high tolerance for living in a cruddy house with problems if you go this route.

Once I became a homeowner as a single dude, it helped my dating prospects tremendously. Chicks dig a guy who seemingly has their stuff together. Just be sure your house looks like a place they’d actually want to live in (not a frat house/bachelor pad)

In addition to having something that will appreciate over time there is also the ability to deduct the mortgage when doing your taxes each year.

Only if you itemize on your return. Most people get a bigger amount when taking standard deduction. You also don’t deduct the full mortgage payment amount, just a portion of it.

Bought my house in my 20s while single. I didn't want to keep throwing money into renting. Never felt lonely and it is the house I still live in with my family.

I bought it when I made 1/6 what I do now and before I had a second income. The payment is very low and will be paid off before im 50.

It was a very smart financial decision.

I've thought about that before, but I was talking more about places that are considered teardowns just because they're small. Near me, there's a neighborhood with a lot of mid-century modern houses, under 2k feet, usually 3 beds/1 bath. Most are in great shape. Some even designed by famous architects. But the land is worth well over a million, so they get torn down and 5/6k foot houses get put up.

You'd have to have home worth roughly 300k or less before it makes sense to take the standard deduction. Almost every homeowner itemizes at least in the early years of the mortgage. By the later years, your payment should have gone way down in real terms, so you can afford to lose the deduction.

Interesting bump. Boo. To the question, the answer is yes. I have a roster, my sweet spot is mid to upper 20s which is younger than me, by a fair amount. These 304s are looking for the top guys, the rest aren't even considered. You would be amazed at the reactions, subtle and not so subtle when you bring that young woman to your house to cook for her, date 2. Date 3 tops. She's engaged on the house tour, two car garage filled and three stories of possibilities. As she eats the delicious food, learn to cook guys, she's thinking to herself the guys she has dated up until now live in crappy apartments, average apartments with a roommate(s), or mom's house. She's excited. As I'm making her breakfast in the morning she's already thinking about a possible future with me. Excellent, another roster spot filled.