u/ncore13

Obviously I know the real answer is “because it’s a sitcom” and the apartment setup was basically the heart of the show. They had to stay across from Penny etc.

But in-universe I always found it kinda weird that Sheldon and Leonard apparently just rented the same place for most of their adult lives and never really talked about buying something.

They were both highly educated scientists with stable jobs at Caltech, and they clearly planned to stay in Pasadena long term.

And honestly I think the writers missed what could have been a really funny 2-3 episode storyline with them trying to buy a house or condo.
Just imagine Sheldon going to viewings.

The house has to be an exact acceptable distance from Caltech. No upstairs neighbors. Correct amount of sunlight. Perfect temperature. Good internet provider. No dogs nearby. No weird smells. Obviously he researches earthquake faults, crime statistics and probably the entire history of every person who owned the house since 1952.
Then they finally find the perfect place and Sheldon refuses it because the house number is unacceptable or the living room doesn’t have a good location for “his spot”. 😅

Meanwhile Leonard is slowly going insane, the realtor hates them, and Sheldon has probably created a 40-page questionnaire for the home inspector.

It also made me wonder if their situation is actually pretty normal for California? Like are people with decent stable professional jobs fine renting basically forever because buying in Pasadena/LA is so expensive? I would assume two Caltech employees could eventually afford something, especially after living there for that many years, but maybe I’m underestimating California real estate.

Also Sheldon probably genuinely didn’t see any reason to own. He hates change and that apartment was basically his natural habitat by that point. Leonard is a little harder to explain, although once he got together with Penny I guess his priorities changed anyway.

I still think it would’ve been a great plot.

What do you guys think? Would Sheldon ever actually manage to buy a house, or would he eliminate literally every property in Pasadena for some ridiculous reason?