3 ms·

This feels like such a weird take to me. There's never been a time that I know I'm going to stay in the same city for more than four years...ever. Since graduat

This feels like such a weird take to me. There's never been a time that I know I'm going to stay in the same city for more than four years...ever. Since graduating college, I've been to grad school, postdoc, employment, whatever but there are very few places I know I can stay for long enough to make a purchase worth it. in hindsight, I'm sure a short term buy would have made financial sense, but so did leaving assets in the S&P and I didn't have to worry about anything. I wish it weren't such a default assumption that everyone has to buy a place given the massive friction this puts on relocation.

soupfordummies 3y ago
I think moving cities every ~4 years is far less default than buying and staying in the same place for a while
- etrautmann 3y ago
  Yeah - perhaps the unique and unfortunate constraints of an academic track, where it's heavily penalized to not move locations for Phd, then postdoc, then professorship. Similar but not as severe for my wife in Medicine, where you have to move after MD to Residency, then fellowship, then physician job.
ghusto 3y ago
I meant all this for slightly more settled people, but since you bring it up, I still think it makes sense for people like you too. I bought a house in a city about a year before I knew I was likely to leave for another country. When I was sure, and told people I was leaving, they presumed I meant some long term plan. They thought I was delusional when I said I meant in a couple of months. Everybody said it couldn't be done; what about this, what about that, it's not as easy as just packing up and going! Yes, yes it is. I did as much prep as I needed to, packed my bags, and left. I rented the house out _whilst_ was in the other country, and eventually sold it for a nice profit when I'd had enough of that. It was incredibly easy, and I haven't even gone into the parts that should have been difficult given a particular situation I was in. If you can buy, then buy. You won't regret it.

soupfordummies 3y ago

I think moving cities every ~4 years is far less default than buying and staying in the same place for a while

etrautmann 3y ago
Yeah - perhaps the unique and unfortunate constraints of an academic track, where it's heavily penalized to not move locations for Phd, then postdoc, then professorship. Similar but not as severe for my wife in Medicine, where you have to move after MD to Residency, then fellowship, then physician job.

ghusto 3y ago

I meant all this for slightly more settled people, but since you bring it up, I still think it makes sense for people like you too. I bought a house in a city about a year before I knew I was likely to leave for another country. When I was sure, and told people I was leaving, they presumed I meant some long term plan. They thought I was delusional when I said I meant in a couple of months. Everybody said it couldn't be done; what about this, what about that, it's not as easy as just packing up and going! Yes, yes it is. I did as much prep as I needed to, packed my bags, and left. I rented the house out _whilst_ was in the other country, and eventually sold it for a nice profit when I'd had enough of that. It was incredibly easy, and I haven't even gone into the parts that should have been difficult given a particular situation I was in. If you can buy, then buy. You won't regret it.