> You get to keep the money when you move to a less expensive area. Or you retire and downsize.
I live in a satellite township to one of the poorest suburbs in Melbourne, Australia. My house is tiny, too small for the four of us, and has cost us nearly $100k just to make it weather-tight (also with $10k of solar panels). So, in total, we have spent nearly $800k for a small home that is too small for our needs.
If I were to move somewhere less expensive I would not be able to do my job. As it is I have to spend 3 hours a day (minimum, some days it can be up to 5 hours if there are train issues) commuting to my place of work.
Australia is a huge country with a handful of large cities with amenities and only hundreds of small towns which do not. The only places where housing is on par with US towns (i.e. 150k-300k) may be in the middle of the outback, 10 hours drive from the nearest city, and be so ramshackle and run-down as to be unlivable.
I live in a satellite township to one of the poorest suburbs in Melbourne, Australia. My house is tiny, too small for the four of us, and has cost us nearly $100k just to make it weather-tight (also with $10k of solar panels). So, in total, we have spent nearly $800k for a small home that is too small for our needs.
If I were to move somewhere less expensive I would not be able to do my job. As it is I have to spend 3 hours a day (minimum, some days it can be up to 5 hours if there are train issues) commuting to my place of work.
Australia is a huge country with a handful of large cities with amenities and only hundreds of small towns which do not. The only places where housing is on par with US towns (i.e. 150k-300k) may be in the middle of the outback, 10 hours drive from the nearest city, and be so ramshackle and run-down as to be unlivable.