Why would anyone buy a house in Athens right now?
I feel like every conversation about housing eventually turns into “well you should just buy.” But honestly, I like renting right now.
I like living in Athens. I love the college town atmosphere, being able to move around easily, and not feeling locked into one place forever. I genuinely don’t know if I want to stay here permanently, and I don’t think that should automatically mean I’m “doing adulthood wrong.”
At least for me, renting is cheaper overall right now when you factor in mortgage rates, insurance, maintenance, property taxes, etc. Maybe moving out of town to Watkinsville would make it cheaper, but yeah, no thanks. Plus I like the flexibility. If my job changes or I decide I want to try another city in a couple years, I can.
I still think Athens needs more housing built because prices are obviously getting rough, but I don’t really get why renting gets treated like throwing money away while buying is automatically considered the responsible choice no matter what the market looks like.
Curious if other people here feel the same way or if I’m missing something.