I would worry about buying a house that I couldn't afford without roommates. When you have kids either your expenses will go way up (daycare) or your income will go way down (SAHP). How will you continue to afford the house?

We almost bought a larger house when we had only one kid, in anticipation of our second.

We got pregnant easily with the first but suffered secondary infertility for a long time. We eventually had our second, but I'm glad I wasn't living in that big house reminding me that I was unable to fill it up.

Point being, things don't always go as planned.

We bought a 6-bed, 3-bath house in Chevy Chase years before we had kids. Way too big for 2 people who were never home, but so what?

An important factor, for us at least, was that school quality didn't matter. I would be hesitant to allocate everything to a down payment if I didn't have the schools piece locked down in advance. It's possible to take a real hit on transaction costs + meh sale price. You -think- you know that District real estate will just keep appreciating 17% year-to-year, but you can't be sure of how unforeseen interest rate changes might alter market value.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We did something like this and what I thought was important completely changed once we had kids. My wants would have been very different if we waited. That said, we bought in a wonderful neighborhood that we never have been able to afford otherwise.

Tell me more. What did you think was important before and what changed? My biggest worry is that we'll kick ourselves in 5 years if we don't get into the neighborhood we want now.

-OP

NP here. There are many reasons your wants/needs change before/after kids. For us, good schools are a priority as is access to childcare before your kids start school. Parking is important because who wants to schlep crap a few blocks? Having a yard is important. Lower crime rates are important as is access to amenities such as parks, libraries, etc. Being close to places like a grocery store where you can grab milk is more important than being close to bars. We like to go out to eat just as much as we did before kids, but the types of restaurants have changed. Cheap, fast casual is more important than the latest restaurant.

Layout of house also changes. You look at things like steps differently. I have a friend who can't buy a home with one long staircase, it has to be broken up with a landing. Because her son has epilepsy and she doesn't want him to fall down a long staircase if he has a seizure while on the stairs. She would rather he fall down only a few stairs and have a landing to stop him. I know that this is an extreme example.

Things like layout of bedrooms is more important. When you have kids, many people like their kids on the same level as them. Or want their bedroom between the front door and the kids, in case anyone comes into the house at night they have to pass the parents bedroom first.

Things like busy roads become much more important. When I was single I lived on a busy road and thought nothing of it. Now I would never want to live on that road.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you afford it? That's the reason people get a "starter home" usually.

OP here. We can afford it if we generate rental income with the extra bedrooms and think of it as an investment property, otherwise it seems a waste of money and space? In essence we'd turn the home into a group home until we have kids, then gently kick out the tenants over time. Wondering if anyone has done this and if it is a good idea.

Most people who I know who are married with roommates do so because they can't afford to live on their own--anywhere--without roommates. Do you really want to share your home, as a married couple, with random roommates just so you can afford your dream house/neighborhood? I couldn't imagine it for my husband and I, but maybe you can.

Not weird, but be sure you know what you really want in a house before you make the investment. We had a starter 2bdrm condo (well, if 700k+ Can be considered "starter") and I'm glad we did. Learned a lot about likes, dislikes, and must haves as well as about home improvement and maintenance. We upgraded to a 4 bedroom house (cheaper purchase price than the condo, actually) and knew what to look for in a house. We also know what kind of finishings and layout we prefer to live in and we are renovating our house with lessons learned from our condo (eg, love white marble, but not for kitchen countertops).

Anonymous wrote:We did something like this and what I thought was important completely changed once we had kids. My wants would have been very different if we waited. That said, we bought in a wonderful neighborhood that we never have been able to afford otherwise.

Tell me more. What did you think was important before and what changed? My biggest worry is that we'll kick ourselves in 5 years if we don't get into the neighborhood we want now.

-OP

Anonymous wrote:Can you afford it? That's the reason people get a "starter home" usually.

OP here. We can afford it if we generate rental income with the extra bedrooms and think of it as an investment property, otherwise it seems a waste of money and space? In essence we'd turn the home into a group home until we have kids, then gently kick out the tenants over time. Wondering if anyone has done this and if it is a good idea.

Fine to move right into a larger house, but do you really want roommates? Can you find a house with and English basement and rent that out? It would be nice to have an au pair suite when you have kids.

We did something like this and what I thought was important completely changed once we had kids. My wants would have been very different if we waited. That said, we bought in a wonderful neighborhood that we never have been able to afford otherwise.

Clap clap clap.
You can afford a large city home.


(Note - a starter home is not obligatory. Also, why do you care whether people think it's weird? And, most importantly, do you really want to live in the city with kids?)

It's not weird as long as you're some place you can see yourself long term (think about schools, job access, future development) or a place that you think is a good investment in case you need to move.

If you can afford it, why not? Generally people buy a starter home because it's what they can afford.

Can you afford it? That's the reason people get a "starter home" usually.

We're married and have no kids but planning on having 2-3 kids in the next 10 years. Is it weird to skip the starter 2BR house and go straight for a 4-5BR house? Has anyone done this before? We are thinking of getting a row house in the city, so presumably we could rent out the extra space until we need it. Thoughts?