Please tell me I'm not the only one (or: Praise be to Parents!)

[clamboy]

Originally Posted by jfkIII

We, as parents, have failed that generation. We have spoiled them rotten, and made them think that everything will always be right there and taken care of by their parents. We ran them around to soccer, piano lessons, karate and anywhere else we thought they should be involved in to make ourselves look like the best parents in the world and compete with the Jones' to show them that we could do the same. We bought them cars and cell phones when they wanted them, paid for their proms...and even threw lavish sweet 16 parties for them. Both parents worked to support that lifestyle...and neither parent was home while the kids played video games all day, had sex at 15, and were then handed everything with no expectation of having to work for it or to sacrifice. Yet at 18 or 21, we fully expect them to go out in the real world, where nothing is like the fake world we've created for them up to that point.

Shame on us!

So true.

Great post

C

[Dedalus]

I'm reminded of this sister of an ex g/f of mine, she'd hear: Well, no one said it would be easy...

And, she'd come back: YES YOU DID, YOU STINKERS! Laughing like hell, mind you.

[AndreaII]

This has been going on for years here on LI. Trying to make enough $ to rent someplace decent, or miracle of miracles BUY someplace seems impossible. But yes,I think it can be done. You have to get a little creative, and I don't mean by doing anything illegal.

One thought is buy a 2-family house (a legal 2-family). You live in one side, and rent out the other. It's a major pain being a landlord, but the key to that is finding the right tenants.

Or buying a house with a legal apartment in it and renting it out.

The income from the rent will help wash the cost of the mortgage and taxes, plus you get the writeoff while buying the property (a nice bonus at tax time).

Another thought is to buy a property along with a friend - have everything drawn up legally with lawyers, paperwork, etc.

I had a couple of cousins do the rental thing for a few years. No they weren't in the most upscale areas, but not in bad areas either. They bought what they could afford and figured in a realistic rent.

And while you're still in your mom's house, take advantage of the monetary situation and try and save as much as you can instead of spending as much as you can. A nice downpayment can make the difference between having to split the cost of a house with someone else.

Hope this helps.