Friends and Housing

While my wife and I have been hanging out with family more as of late, it is still imperative to hang out with friends. Growing up, I hung out more with friends than family, especially in high school where high school was its own world. It is also something that we just see more in American culture, generally speaking, as opposed to in other cultures where hanging out with cousins and other distant relatives Is more of the norm. As I got older, friends got married, got children and moved away, and the importance of family became more prevalent. However, hanging out with friends has its own benefits. Talking about marriage, spouses, finances, exercising, buying houses, mortgage rates and whatnot are interesting and relevant things to discuss. It is nice knowing that others are in the same boat as me.

One thing that I talk about with friends is buying homes. In south Orange County, pretty much all single-family homes are upwards of one million dollars. I also work in the mortgage industry, and it surprises me that people are able to buy homes at this price and at this high mortgage rate. My wife and I go to open houses, as I like to see what is out there, the generally prices of homes in certain neighborhoods, floor plans and whatnot. My current condo has two master bedrooms/bathrooms, and it is surprisingly difficult to find three-bedroom residences with rooms that are big and with ample closet space. We are just collecting data at the moment, but these open houses are research for the future when we become serious home buyers. From what it looks like, the next step for us housing-wise will most likely be a three-bedroom townhome if we want to stay in south Orange County.

Things are good, and we are always looking towards the future with optimism and motivation. Our current situation is quite good, but we always want to achieve more.