Right now, I’m a landlord (in the U.S.) and a renter (here in Australia). Right now, we get so much more house as renters. If I ran the numbers right, we would need over a quarter of a million for a down payment in order to have our monthly mortgage payments be the same as our current rent.

I know that home ownership is supposed to be the “be all and end all,” but sometimes, it’s better to rent!  We’re hoping to buy in the coming years, but we’re not rushing into it. After seeing the property bubble burst in the States, we’re leery that the same could happen here.

Right now, I’m a landlord (in the U.S.) and a renter (here in Australia). Right now, we get so much more house as renters. If I ran the numbers right, we would need over a quarter of a million for a down payment in order to have our monthly mortgage payments be the same as our current rent.

I know that home ownership is supposed to be the “be all and end all,” but sometimes, it’s better to rent!  We’re hoping to buy in the coming years, but we’re not rushing into it. After seeing the property bubble burst in the States, we’re leery that the same could happen here.

Also, that “income tax deduction” BS drives me crazy. I explain to everyone the basic math of a 15% deduction… 15% off is still 85% on

Good post!

Of course, assuming that a woman is in a position that affords her the choice of whether or not to work, there are some issues that have to be considered: 

First, she has to be sure that she and her husband are in agreement about her staying home and that they both feel they will remain equals.  I would not stay home if I sensed that my husband suddenly thought he could lord it over me because he brought in the money, or if he would resent me for staying home (and many men I know would).

Second, she has to ask herself if she really wants to stay home — having a career affords you social interaction, skills that are valued in the market, income, independence, intellectual stimulation (hopefully), even if it comes with some frustrations (annoying coworkers, long hours).  Depending on what a woman plans to do at home, she has to ask herself if she will be losing any of this and if she cares.  And obviously most women need to consider what happens if things don’t work out as planned (husband died or becomes disabled; couple divorces).

Third, she must consider how much the opinions of others matter to her.  In my field, which requires an advanced degree, I do sense some hostility from other women when one of our peers decides to stop working or not come back after having a baby.  And there is a feeling among older female lawyers that my generation is taking everything for granted and moving everything backward — but, frankly, my peers and I seem to want choice more than we want 90 hour work weeks.

Just some of my thoughts on this.