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Old 05-13-2012, 06:07 PM
 
1,021 posts, read 1,657,402 times
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I was just seeing what everyone's thoughts are. If you could keep your commute relatively short (30 minutes or so) but could only afford a smaller older house (3bd 2ba 1200-1400 sq ft) or condo or a pretty long commute(1 hr 30min to 2 hours) but a big newer house (4bd+ 3ba+ 2500-3000 sq ft). What would you chose or what have you already choose? Which of these trade offs equals the happier life?
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Old 05-14-2012, 06:59 AM
 
4,307 posts, read 6,243,914 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by justinbro2002 View Post
I was just seeing what everyone's thoughts are. If you could keep your commute relatively short (30 minutes or so) but could only afford a smaller older house (3bd 2ba 1200-1400 sq ft) or condo or a pretty long commute(1 hr 30min to 2 hours) but a big newer house (4bd+ 3ba+ 2500-3000 sq ft). What would you chose or what have you already choose? Which of these trade offs equals the happier life?
I would pick the condo. I live in Mtn. View and work in north San Jose. My commute is very easy and that's something I relish. I used to commute to work from the city and that really got to me after a while. Some of my co-workers live in the tri valley area or even over in Tracy. I just don't think I'd want to deal with that commute every day.
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Old 05-14-2012, 08:52 AM
 
Location: A bit further north than before
1,651 posts, read 3,688,164 times
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I HATE commuting, it sucks your soul dry.
Small house any time.
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Old 05-15-2012, 09:36 AM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
10,987 posts, read 20,492,394 times
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Small house. If it is a purchase you can fix it up as your resources permit.
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Old 05-15-2012, 11:38 AM
 
4,307 posts, read 6,243,914 times
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Originally Posted by Nell Plotts View Post
Small house. If it is a purchase you can fix it up as your resources permit.
Big house! You can afford a private jet to cut down on your commute time as your resources permit.
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Old 05-15-2012, 11:51 AM
 
30,873 posts, read 36,815,390 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by justinbro2002 View Post
I was just seeing what everyone's thoughts are. If you could keep your commute relatively short (30 minutes or so) but could only afford a smaller older house (3bd 2ba 1200-1400 sq ft) or condo or a pretty long commute(1 hr 30min to 2 hours) but a big newer house (4bd+ 3ba+ 2500-3000 sq ft). What would you chose or what have you already choose? Which of these trade offs equals the happier life?
The shorter commute without question. Here's why:

--Long commutes have hidden costs such as buying another car more often, buying a more expensive car than you'd otherwise get because you need something comfortable since you're practically living in it. You'll also replace your car sooner because you'll need something super reliable for that long commute wherease if you lived closer, you've probably hold onto your car another year or two before replacing it. You are more vulnerable to high gas prices.

--It is more dangerous. The more you drive, the more likely you are to be in a crash. You'll also pay higher insurance if you drive a lot.

--Long commutes make you less likely to exercise and eat right, leading to weight gain and bad health and higher health care costs down the road. (While this isn't inevitable, I think it increases the likeliehood of the above scenario).

--Long commutes take away time from family, friends, and community, and these are the things that actually make people happy! Once you have a basic roof over your head, having a bigger house doesn't necessarily make you any happier. The big house will also take more of your time to clean and maintain...time which you don't have much of because you spend it commuting.

--If you are commuting more than 1 hour per day one way, you won't actually spend much time in that big house anyway.
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Old 05-15-2012, 12:00 PM
 
Location: California
37,081 posts, read 42,050,241 times
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Short commute + smaller house = happier life.
Whether I had to commute or not I wouldn't be looking at any house more than 2000sq ft unless I had a ton of kids and a ton of time to keep it up.
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Old 05-15-2012, 12:08 PM
 
Location: Madison, WI
1,044 posts, read 2,759,961 times
Reputation: 984
Quote:
Originally Posted by justinbro2002 View Post
I was just seeing what everyone's thoughts are. If you could keep your commute relatively short (30 minutes or so) but could only afford a smaller older house (3bd 2ba 1200-1400 sq ft) or condo or a pretty long commute(1 hr 30min to 2 hours) but a big newer house (4bd+ 3ba+ 2500-3000 sq ft). What would you chose or what have you already choose? Which of these trade offs equals the happier life?
I would never be willing to endure a commute of 1.5 to 2 hours. I would opt for the smaller house closer to work, or if I really needed the extra space but couldn't afford it without a long commute, I would seriously consider moving to a cheaper region of the country. I spent a few months commuting from San Francisco to San Jose, and it sucked. Never again.
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Old 05-15-2012, 06:25 PM
 
Location: Sunnyvale, CA
6,288 posts, read 11,740,401 times
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I'm sure you'll get equally divided answers on this one, but for me personally, convenience = happier
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Old 05-16-2012, 11:19 AM
 
30,873 posts, read 36,815,390 times
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Originally Posted by 80skeys View Post
I'm sure you'll get equally divided answers on this one, but for me personally, convenience = happier
Interestingly enough, everyone so far has favored the short commute. Maybe Americans are getting sick of marathon commuting? (One can hope!)
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