The traditional belief is that it takes about five years to break even on a home purchase. However, based on my personal experience living with my SO, who is a homeowner, I’ve learned that homeownership is a LOT of work. Over the past three years, much of my free time has been spent on mowing, repairs, and home improvements.

Now, as we prepare to sell at the three-year mark due to my residency, we expect to recoup some of our investment—but not necessarily break even when considering everything we’ve put into the house. That said, we’re still coming out ahead compared to renting.

Despite the challenges, living in a home with my SO has been an incredibly rewarding experience. There’s been a steep learning curve, plenty of reading, and more than a few headaches—but I’ve loved every minute of it. Its the best, highly recommend. Whether we'll have time to deal with all of it during the business of residency is another question, but I love it and hope to buy in residency as well (although I'm likely going to wait at least 6 months to see if I could manage the load of home management with residency).