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You're friends are jealous and immature!
Congrats on your home, you are living the dream. Hopefully I'll be like you and have my own detached, single family home in a few years!
I mentioned my sexual orientation because LGBT people typically gravitate towards living in high density urban areas. So I'm unique in that respect. I'm not gonna lie either...I do have some very slight discomfort living in a suburban neighborhood because I just don't know if certain neighbors would "disapprove" of me or not (assuming they know). Straight people simply don't feel these things and don't have to worry about it at all. So yes, it matters.
Well, if this matters, then that's a shame.
I had no idea that people gravitated to "high density urban" areas, due to being gay. And, you shouldn't feel any slight discomfort for living anywhere. That's just a shame.
Anyway, enjoy your home, where ever it is. Don't let the ignorant get you down.
Weeeellll my knee jerk is that they are jealous. But let me play devils advocate.
I'm not and have never been a fan of the suburbs. Give me urban or rural....happy with either. But not the middle ground. Thats me. If you used to live in a city with a lot of amenities and now moved to the 'burbs your friends may question why. Its a fair question. Not that you have to justify your choices to anyone. But they may really not understand why you made this choice. A simple "i was ready for a change and this was a great opportunity." Is plenty to respond.
Bigger picture? Your lifestyle is changing. You aren't as close by (maybe?) and your old pals may feel that you aren't going to be as involved in activities because of distance or other priorities. They may not be excited about visiting what they see as an older less exciting area. They may be upset that you made a choice that means they will have less time with you.
It happens. We were parents of a wonderful daughter quite young who passed away at age 8. We had "friends" who we never saw much of after our child passed on because we no longer shared kid activities (and I think they just didn't know what to say to us.) So we threw ourselves into our careers. Lots of socializing in order to meet investors and entertain clients. Our friend circle changed. Then I got pregnant rather late in the game (and totally unexpectedly) and had pur son a few years ago. Some of those "friends " who came to our parties and fundraisers dropped off the planet for us. When you make a lifestyle change you often change more than something simple like the place you live.
I think the nub of the issue is that a lot of people think a single person doesn't need much of a home.
I'm in a similar position. I have a 2BR/2BA condo with a loft that I used as the home office now. It's about 1250 sq. ft. with a 550 sq. ft drive under garage.
The extra bedroom has my dresser and my old bedroom suite for guests. My parents had some remodeling going on and dad works second shift, so that's come in handy, along with a couple guests here and there. The closet has some stuff in it, but not full. The master closet is mostly full. The garage has the typical garage stuff (shelving, storage, small toolbox, and my car).
I could go down to something smaller, but in my mid 30s, there's no way I'd want to drop down to a 1BR unless I absolutely had to.
I am 36, gay, single, male. Last year, I bought a house after renting apartments for 13 years and generally not liking apartments (although the townhouse style ones were good). However, occasionally I have friends who sort of make fun of my choice to buy a house. The house is 1700 sq ft and has 3 bedrooms. It is located in a desirable suburban neighborhood that is close to numerous shopping centers and amenities, such as Whole Foods, Target, Publix, gyms, restaurants, medical centers, etc. They say things like "that's a huge house for one person" or "why would you want to live in a suburban neighborhood with so many old people?"
I use all three bedrooms for myself. One is my master bedroom where I sleep. One bedroom is my home office, which has been wonderful working from home during COVID. And another bedroom is my home gym. I also have a nice big inground pool with a tiki bar.
Personally, I have no problem living around older folks. The median age in my neighborhood is 55. There are a lot of families and old couples. I'm probably the only single, young gay guy living in the entire neighborhood. The old people have all been super friendly to me and they like that I moved into the neighborhood. They love that I am OCD about keeping up with the house and yard looking nice and clean.
One interesting observation though, is that my friends who live in apartments tend to be the ones who make fun of my choice to live in a house. My friends who live in houses think I found a great house and had nothing but positive things to say about it.
Should I feel like it's wrong for a single person (myself) to be living in a 1700 sq ft house with 3 bedrooms?
Has anyone else had similar experiences of other people making fun of your choice of housing?
I think the nub of the issue is that a lot of people think a single person doesn't need much of a home.
I'm in a similar position. I have a 2BR/2BA condo with a loft that I used as the home office now. It's about 1250 sq. ft. with a 550 sq. ft drive under garage.
The extra bedroom has my dresser and my old bedroom suite for guests. My parents had some remodeling going on and dad works second shift, so that's come in handy, along with a couple guests here and there. The closet has some stuff in it, but not full. The master closet is mostly full. The garage has the typical garage stuff (shelving, storage, small toolbox, and my car).
I could go down to something smaller, but in my mid 30s, there's no way I'd want to drop down to a 1BR unless I absolutely had to.
I can understand that attitude. As a childless widow I have a 3 BR/2 BA house. Shortly after moving in I found out from my next door neighbor that several other neighbors were wondering why a "single lady" like me wanted a big house all to myself. Truth be told, I'd much rather have a 2 BR/1 BA like my old bungalow, but I couldn't find a nice one when I wanted to move. I don't use the upstairs BR and bath at all (although the adjoining closet area is nice) but they'll be good for resale after I die.
I mentioned my sexual orientation because LGBT people typically gravitate towards living in high density urban areas. So I'm unique in that respect. I'm not gonna lie either...I do have some very slight discomfort living in a suburban neighborhood because I just don't know if certain neighbors would "disapprove" of me or not (assuming they know). Straight people simply don't feel these things and don't have to worry about it at all. So yes, it matters.
The big generalization here - what a surprise!
You may want to attempt to discover why you have the constant need for affirmation of your housing choice. It's not a matter of your sexual identity.
Are you happy with the house/neighborhood in which you live?
That's a semi-rhetorical, semi-real question.
The only person who needs to "approve" of where you live is...you.
It feels like there is a chance you are projecting a bit and MAY be questioning your own decision and projecting it on others.
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