u/Fantastic_Page_1009

I posted here a couple weeks ago about buying my first house. I thought it was kismet, having received some funds from the death of a grandparent that, combined with my own cash savings, were just enough to to put a downpayment on what I thought was my dream apartment. Sadly, the inspection revealed a bunch of issues that I couldn't afford to deal with, so that didn't happen 😞

Now that I've realized I could, I'm interested in buying -- but I'm not unhappy renting, I don't want to lock myself into something not ideal for 5+ years, and the neighborhood I want to live in is $$ and has pretty limited stock. There's nothing currently on the market in my budget that interests me, so I'm planning to just keep an eye on things as they come on the market and only strike if something seems really appealing. Realistically, that could be in a few months, or in 5 years.

I know generally speaking you should keep down payment money in an HYSA, but the thought of keeping all that money in an HYSA for potentially years gives me heartburn. Is there anything else to do with it, or should I really just keep it in cash?

I'm 28, a lawyer, sociable, and tidy. I like to cook (and share!), ride my bike, and explore the city. I come with one very sweet cat. He's leash-trained and steals hearts everywhere he goes.

Preferred move-in date between June 15 and July 10. Would prefer not to exceed $3500. Women-identifying people only, please.

DM me if you think we could be good roomies!

I want to get a vague sense of how much this would cost without doing the thing where I put my email and phone into some website and have 50 different people blowing up my phone for a week. Has anyone in the city had this done recently, and what did the labor cost?

After saving for years, finally ready to buy my first tiny-ass little home of my own ❤️. That being said I find the whole process confusing and daunting, and I want to find a good lawyer who will look out for my interests and not screw me around with tons of sketchy added fees. Anyone ever worked with someone good for a brownstone coop purchase?

Thanks!

I was expecting to rent for a few more years, but a friend just alerted me to a beautiful two bedroom in my price range in a neighborhood I've lusted after for years. I would have a 15 minute commute and be very centrally located to my friends/family/interests.

From a purely crunching numbers perspective, I can afford it, factoring in closing costs, maintenance, insurance, moving, taxes, etc. I likely qualify for a very good mortgage rate through my work as well (~5%). I could afford a 20% down payment, and the total monthly costs would leave me with around $6k per month (after maxing out 401k and HSA). I typically spend around $1.5k-2k/mo, after rent, so I would still be able to save and invest, just not as aggressively as I have been.

The thing that spooks me is that it's such a commitment -- I know that I want to stay in the city where I live and I would very likely want to be in this neighborhood long term, but I worry about how I would deal with a layoff or if I saw a really appealing, lower-paid opportunity if I would feel resentful that I couldn't easily pursue it.

How did you all decide you were ready for that kind of commitment?