To Buy or Not to Buy?

Never in my life have I been so indecisive about anything as I am about whether to buy a house. It is truly out of character for me to not know what I want. But I don't.

On the one hand, I have always dreamt of owning my own house. I fantasize about being able to decorate it just the way I want and make it mine, rather than figuring out the best way to fit our stuff into some rental until we move on to the next.

Buying a house is sort of the last big item on my mental checklist of things to accomplish in my life. Married - check. Law degree - check. Job as a corporate attorney - check. Baby - check.

So why am I on the fence? Part of me sort of wonders what I will fantasize about once we do buy a house. I've spent so much time thinking about how to accomplish those items on my mental checklist. What would I accomplish next?

But more than that - a house is so, well, permanent. Especially in today's market, if we buy a house we are probably not going to be able to move out of it for several years. That means that I can just say "Screw it! I'm quitting my job. We're moving inland!" Now, the chances of me ever saying that, mortgage or not, are slim to none. But, for now, at least that possibility is open to me. And that's sort of comforting.

And then there's the cold, hard reality of what we can afford. I could go on for days about this topic, but suffice it to say that it is truly depressing to know that two law degrees from a top tier law school are more likely to equal massive student loan debt than a massive house.

So, despite hearing all of the comments from my (homeowner) friends that: Now Is The Time to Buy!! Interest Rates Will Go Up!! Paying Rent Is Throwing Your Money Away! I think I'm still not *quite* ready to cross this item off my list.