Agree to buy a house, that is your part of the deal, agreeing.
She has to agree also, but agree to buy a house when it makes sense. I had the same problem with my wife. We made a deal, we buy a house, when foreclosures and inventory are at regular levels again, or close to normal levels. Or when we can buy a house that is comparable to the house we rent currently at around the same cost monthly.
Otherwise, the “I want a house” argument holds no water. Ask her why she wants it. She wants to customize it? Paint the walls, buy some plants, make it your home. It’ll cost much less in the long run. We painted our rental (inside) and have plants, etc. Get over the stigma of renting as a bad thing, before things got out of wack, owning a house was a good idea. Things are different, and the smart ones are renting, not buying. Emphasize that other people are owning, but it’s costing them a lot of money to have that right. While you may not be able to say you own, you are saving money by doing it. Being able to put in new windows or change your own leaky faucet is worth how much? There has to be some rationality, otherwise you are just like the other lemmings following the ones in front of you off of the cliff. Sales people LOVE people that think with their hearts. How many house showings have you went to where the realtor talked about nothing except how you can build memories, and family, etc. etc. Pulling every heart string possible.
Separate your heart from your brain when making decisions like this. Kind of like thinking with your big head instead of the little head when on a date. Thinking with your heart or your little head will get you in trouble, even though for a short while you will be happy.
In the end, if you want to buy in an area that has certain schools etc, rent there. Kids don’t mind if the walls are owned by their family, they just want a place to sleep at night. You can find a place to rent that will fit all the criteria of what you want to buy. If one day buying comes down to that price range, do it. Until then, wait it out and enjoy your life.
Like Abe Lincoln said, “good things come to those who wait”
With the money you save, send your kids to a nice college or take an awesome vacation, hell, buy a huge hot tub or something. The amount you could lose is not small
