Where are you looking and what price range are you aiming for? How are you justifying the high interest rate and home prices still high?

I work in NYC real estate and I’ve been really curious about this lately, especially with how expensive renting has gotten.

For those of you who are currently renting but have thought about buying in the city, what’s the biggest thing holding you back?

Is it the down payment, interest rates, monthly maintenance/common charges, not knowing whether you’ll stay in NYC long-term, confusion around co-ops vs. condos, or just feeling like buying here is completely out of reach?

Also curious what neighborhoods you’d realistically consider buying in and what price range you’d be looking at.

Not trying to sell anyone anything — genuinely interested in hearing how NYC renters are thinking about buying right now.

For those currently house or apartment hunting in NYC, what neighborhoods are you looking in and what price range are you targeting?

With interest rates and prices where they are, what made you decide that now is still the right time to buy instead of waiting?

Also curious whether you’re looking at condos, co-ops, or townhouses — and whether you’re already seriously searching or just starting to explore

There could be several reasons why home prices are going up although number of sales dipped. One of the possible reasons is that sellers are holding firm and not being quick to lower asking prices.

My house is for sale and although I can afford another one, I’m looking at rentals for the same floor plans in the same neighborhoods (literally same streets) and they are significantly less than was the mortgage would be. Like $400-$500 less. Would buying again be simply a pride thing at this point?

Editing to avoid the very obvious answers. Again, I’m looking at home on the same street so it’s not a matter of privacy or location or space or any of that. Of course I know I get equity. I own a home now and have been tracking. I’m not that oblivious.

The real question would it hurt me so much if I rent for maybe five years and buy again later versus doing it now. What would I be missing out on?

Looking at homes around San Jose and I’ve noticed the estimated values online can be pretty different from the asking price. I’m still early in the process, but it makes it hard to tell what number is actually realistic when it comes time to make an offer. For anyone who bought around here recently, was the online estimate anywhere close to what the house actually sold for?

I was able to save 25k but apparently that’s not enough for a house/down payment nowadays. I have no family. I have no friends. I have no one that cares about me. I saved 25k as fast as I could before my lease is up because I’m a foster kid & I have been so scared every day for 13 years wondering where I’ll end up next. I just want a home that I’ll be able to stay in & that’s livable. I don’t have a degree. My job is remote but the pay varies month to month due to it being my own business. I spent time trying to find a partner & build my business instead of trying to go to school. Now it’s too late probably for me to go to school & to have stability before I end up entirely homeless. I don’t know how this is real life. I thought the high prices were just in some areas. But it’s everywhere. The only cheap places are in the middle of nowhere. I’m a methadone patient. I only go once or twice a month but I need a methadone clinic within a certain distance of me so living remotely is off the table. I have no car because I’ve never had anyone who had the time to teach me how to drive or who wanted to so having access to locations around me is important. I did get my permit but now I have to retake that test since I didn’t get my license within so many years. Should I just buy a car to live in & not drive it? What are even my options with only 25k? Should I just gamble it & hope for the best & hope it doubles & that I can get a home with that? I just feel like my life is over. I think people really underestimate how hard it is to be entirely alone. People say they’re alone but they don’t really mean it or they always have someone in their corner. There’s always those women who say they’re self made but their mom got them their first car & helped with every down payment & insurance payment they’ve ever made. I just wish I could find something livable while still having something that is in a decent area with people so I can find someone to build a family since I don’t have one. I’m so miserable & scared. It feels like I was set up to fail, even after doing everything I thought was right.

We put our house on the market and it’s been slow for potential buyers. Is everyone else experiencing this? Is it an end of the summer situation? Our house is in Niles and it’s listed for 599k to give some context.

Update: we dropped the price by 25k thanks for the feedback everyone!

I’ve been seeing a lot of people say “once you hit 10 doors you can retire.” Some treat it like a hard rule, others say it’s way more complicated and depends on a bunch of factors.

From what I’ve gathered, it seems to come down to things like whether the properties still have mortgages or are mostly paid off, how strong the actual cash flow is after all the real-world expenses, the market you’re in, and how much income you personally need to live on. Self-managing versus hiring a property manager also seems to change the picture a lot for people.

I’m still trying to figure out what “enough” actually looks like in practice.

• How do you personally think about the number of doors needed for retirement or financial freedom?

• What’s been more important for you — nr of door count, cash flow quality, or getting properties paid off?

• Anyone already at a point where their rentals cover (or almost cover) their living expenses? What does that look like day-to-day, and how many doors got you there?

• Any big surprises or lessons that changed how you view the “10 doors” idea?