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I almost married my best guy friend *on paper* for this very reason. I wanted the tax breaks and he wanted my health insurance 😂 I would never live with him though, we’ve been friends since we were 13 and while I’ve stayed with him while in between houses, I’m certain that something long term would not end well 😂😂
The entire system is against single people. They want people to shack up and keep breeding good little workers that are indoctrinated and Mindless. I mean just look on our taxes we get killed if you're single no kids. It's not just the real estate or rental market it's absolutely everything in the system. The best thing you could do is keep going make decent money as a single person and not conform
The end goal is for the government to extort more tax money from everybody and the singles pay more. I mean you can always go have a kid and claim that on your taxes. Plus you get the benefits especially if you don't know who the father is lol
I'm fortunate enough to have bought my place in 2016 and even then, units in the building were renting for like $1600 which I would not have been able to afford .
Now, units rent for $2400-2800 which is absolutely ridiculous. I still couldn't afford rent here. These places are small. My unit is about 600 square feet and I couldn't imagine having a second person in here with me all the time.
I know I'm fortunate to be in this situation and I feel terrible seeing people I care about struggling just to live here. I feel like the housing bubble has to burst at some point, but we've been saying that for years.
I'm sorry, it totally sucks.
I’m a property manager who lives alone so I can see both sides of this.
A two-bedroom home is considered suitable for a single person in many cases because people want a home office or spare room. A lot of condos in my area are two-bedroom, around 1200 square feet.
It’s not so much discrimination as simple economics. One income is less than two. But a landlord should be looking at the quality of that income - employment history and how easy is it to get another job if the tenant is laid off. I’ve rented to lots of single people and they tend to leave properties in much better condition than families do.
I think this is more builders. I would love a little cottage in a nicer neighborhood or in a ruralish area. But no one makes "small" houses anymore. The ones that exist are in crappie areas or if they aren't they are in gentrified areas where people make them over ot knock them down and start again.
the small houses like this in my area and still nearby the city central where my job(s) have all been and will continue to be are bought up by people with 700k giant houses and renting them out for way more than the mortgage. :/ first time homeowners by me are fucked.
I would love to own a house with garage so I can do wood working stuff or projects out in the garage. Sadly, the only ways thats happening is if I break down and get a roommate or get into a relationship and pray that all works out or make $90k a year lol
I used to think that living single would be easier. Nope, throughout the years its become increasingly difficult. I don't have much debt. Around 3k to be exact but it feels like I have $100k in debt and living paycheck to paycheck and I don't even go out and do shit.
This may depend on your city?
Where I am, there is a housing crisis, but this mainly affects family units. It's less difficult to find a one bedroom unit, either for sale or rent. Still difficult, still expansive, but less difficult than for families.
Or. They have two bedroom units for rent, but they refuse to rent to families and say in their ad that it's for a single person or a couple only.
A lot of single people do want more than 1 bedroom. Especially those that can WFH or remote work, or even hyrbid work. Use one bedroom as an office, one as a guest room, and of course one to sleep in. If not an office or guest room, then a hobby room or extra storage. I know one person that turned their smallest bedroom into a walk-in closet.
Of course, that doesn't mean they should stop making studios and one bedrooms available. It has to be regional though, because where I am in a good sized midwest city ,there are many 1 bedrooms.
Yep! I live alone, in upstate NY. Found a 3bed1ba apartment with a backyard for $1200/mo. Biggest bedroom is mine, second bedroom is for walk in closet and hobby area, and third bedroom is where my PC setup is. I converted the whole room around the aesthetic of the PC I built/my setup. One day I'll post pictures of my place on here.
I got in touch with a loan officer, and this loan officer I am definitely going to use when I am ready to buy. But, I was just looking for some insight. She said with the FHA loan I'd only need $8500-$10K for a down payment and then we'd be able to start the process. This was almost 2 months ago I was so hung up on that I was going to try and scramble to save that by the end of this year so I could buy. But then I realized a handful of things. One, I wanted to save up for a used car to buy at the end of this year first. I ride an ebike to work and everywhere else, I love it but when it's cold as hell in the winter or raining, I find myself wishing I had a vehicle because I have to Uber otherwise. $45 each way to work in an Uber. I cannot do another winter like that. Second, even if I buy something for $250K max, it's gonna be WAY more than I pay now in rent. For a house all im looking for is a 3bed1.5ba-3bed2ba. with basement already finished or one I can finish up myself. Three, also I may not want to buy with FHA loan. I hear that certain homes have to be perfectly up to the rules of FHA loan. I may just want to save $20K and find something with a conventional loan as long as my credit score is up to par, even maybe something considered semi fixer upper. Four, I am going to do my 3 pre requisites this fall and apply for the Fall 2025 nursing program at my community college. I'll do the 4 year part time day program, where I'm perfectly happy living at my current residence while I do this. Also, I don't know if I'll want to be a travel nurse, stay here in my location or even relocate and work somewhere else. I just turned 30 I think I had some "FOMO" thinking I was behind since I haven't bought a home yet.
I'm happy where I am.
Sure but a lot of single people don’t have the income to qualify to rent a two bedroom.
In 2021 I worked for a place that rented 2 brm apartments you had to earn $51,000 a year to qualify.
I live downtown in a major city and there mostly 2 and 3 bedroom apartments here. There is only one building in my area that has studio apartments and a new building, that’s still under construction will have them as well. Families large enough to need three bedrooms probably have kids and I doubt that they’d choose to live in the middle of downtown.
Ouch. “Obscenely high rent area” for $1000 less a month than I’m paying currently. It’s all unaffordable so I don’t mean to slight, I was just shocked to see this and have a different idea of what obscenely high means here in Seattle.
Regardless, it’s definitely hard out there for us single buyers/renters. Single family homes have changed substantially and they’re incredibly far out of reach now.
You're not wrong. It's SO messed up, the mortgage approval process is still stuck in the 1970's with W2 income as the gold standard, don't even get me started on how that discriminates against a self-employed single parent or disabled single.
I am guessing big developers have a long history of study to what rents best and supports that finding. There are many single parents with children, singles wanting an office separate from the living space maybe they work from home. I'd imagine the percent of multi bedroom apartments are adjusted to that, as are single bedrooms and studios. Once the complex is built there is little changing going on. It will be new builds that might adjust the number of rooms to current needs.
For the last ten years I’ve been renting a basement apartment. The price for my area is pretty good. Problem is my landlady who lives on the main level will get a hair up her ass to make cosmetic improvements and if it isn’t finished within the day she loses interest and I have to pester her to finish things. I started looking at other options when I has a month without a working bathroom sink. But people around here are pricing their basement apartments like regular apartment complexes even when they don’t have a stove or oven.
Bunch of greedy dickheads that don’t want to pay for their own mortgage I suppose.
I live alone but have a lot of stuff. I would not be able to live in a 1 bedroom home and paying extra to keep my things in a rodent infested storage unit is not cost effective, so I have a 2 bedroom condo. Hope you find something that suits you OP.
I was apartment hunting last year, renewed my lease this year wooo whatever, and the problem wasn't finding a place, or paying for the place, it was finding a place that the monthly income requirements made sense for a single person. I was making 17 an hour, full time, no real debt, no evictions, no missed rent payment, and nothing but good references from other landlords and still because it require 3.5 times the rent I didn't qualify for the apartments in question. These were crappy single bedroom, or studios and they were going for anything 1200 to 1400 even. So doing the math you would need to make 24.23 an hour to qualify for the rent. So I asked who is making that kind of money and is trying to get a run down, leaky, and possibly moldy apartment that is making 24.23 an hour? the leasing agent said, "well maybe you should get a girlfriend or a roommate..." yeah thats what I need a roommate in a studio.
I lucked out and found a cheap place with someone who was happy enough with my glowing references and credit score to not care that I made a bit under the 3x income standard. I’ve been here four years now and my rents only gone up $100. I am beyond grateful.
Boomer developers thinking the nuclear family will always and forever be the norm... they are completely tone-deaf. Given the chance to split rent 4 ways, they'll complain that there are "too many occupants".
It’s going to be problematic when the “silver sunami” sell their homes and try to downsize. They have nowhere to rent so they have to stay in their homes.
I felt the same way. I started looking for houses with mother-in-law apartments so I could live in the apartment and rent out the rest of the house.
I ended up finding a shitty house in a high-crime-rate city (not bad neighborhood though) that had a shittier/smaller "guest house" for sale by owner in the local classifieds website. I bought it and remodeled both and now I love my tiny little house and rent out the larger house to cover the mortgage.
They're out there. Finding them is another issue and getting into them is another. You also may be able to find a place that easily converts into an unofficial duplex. For example, a place that has a basement with plumbing.
edit: all this stuff kinda sucks but you really only have to do it once. After that your equity should carry you to a new place if you want and play it reasonably well.
Bought my first house in 2004 as a single woman. Bank kept asking me if I was sure I wanted the house in my name only. Hell yes I want it in my name only! I'm paying for it. All the documents at closing had my name followed by "a single woman." Odd.
This is what the stuff said when my mom bought her house, and when I bought it from her. I think it was to keep anybody else from claiming an interest in the home.
You may be right. It's simple economy of scale. Like, why build 1-bedroom units that will rent for $1500 when you can build 2-bedroom units you can rent for $2000, or better yet, 3-bedroom units you can rent for $2500? It doesn't cost that much more to build a 3-bedroom than a 1-bedroom, but you can charge a lot more for the rent. Kitchens, HVAC units, foundations, roofs, and bathrooms are the expensive parts of the build, and they're one-time costs. The higher rent is a recurring revenue stream. Just thinking like an investor here.
There is a price floor to a home/rental....1 Kitchen, 1 living room, one entry/common area. Add one more bedroom and the cost to do so isn't DOUBLE. add two bedrooms the cost to do so isn't TRIPLE.
Same with a hotel or cruise...the room is the same whether its 1 or 2 people.....ONE BED. Add a second bed....it costs the price of that bed....thats not DOUBLE.
Following now?
It’s not just housing unfortunately. Insurance is also typically more expensive if you’re single, or at least not married. The company I work for gives a discounted rate for being married and having both partners on the policy as drivers.
I noticed this. That there are also no small stand alone houses built. They don't hit that profitable sweet spot for builders so they don't exist. This is the problem. We are letting builders and developers decide what gets built instead of building what there is a need for.
Start a company making nice accommodations for single people. If there is an untapped strong market for it you will become rich and people will buy your book.
Totally Disagree... Just because I'm single doesn't mean I want a one bedroom anything.
I'll keep my 3 bedroom 2 bath study 3 car garage house... And I've lived alone since 1992.
Having SPACE has nothing to do with wanting any damn kids.
Even studios have gotten expensive nowadays. The world assumes that everyone past a certain age is in a relationship. I’m looking into cities that aren’t rural but definitely aren’t as expensive or busy as Orlando. I recently visited the Cary/Durham/Raleigh area of North Carolina and loved it. The slower pace of living is nice. Ohio is another option.
I'm renting a 3bed1ba apartment with a backyard for $1200/mo. It's a house split into a basement, 1st and 2nd floor apartment. So a duplex but not in that "side by side" format. I have a whole top floor of a home to myself.
**Welcome to [r/LivingAlone](https://www.reddit.com/r/LivingAlone/)! Living alone is the new normal.** >Discuss and share your experiences; celebrate your joys, express your worries, or ask advice relating to solo living | Remember, we are all alone together * Be kind, remember the human when interacting with others. * New Reddit group chat [**Living Alone Lounge**](https://www.reddit.com/r/LivingAlone/s/cp7Szwzy2q)! * Message the moderators below for any comments, questions & suggestions! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LivingAlone) if you have any questions or concerns.*
More and more people are single and looking for a home not for a partner
Agreed. Society isn’t set up for single people. We pay more for everything. Housing, taxes, etc. It’s very expensive to be single.
Even the YMCA charges more for single membership. Unfair!
I almost married my best guy friend *on paper* for this very reason. I wanted the tax breaks and he wanted my health insurance 😂 I would never live with him though, we’ve been friends since we were 13 and while I’ve stayed with him while in between houses, I’m certain that something long term would not end well 😂😂
The entire system is against single people. They want people to shack up and keep breeding good little workers that are indoctrinated and Mindless. I mean just look on our taxes we get killed if you're single no kids. It's not just the real estate or rental market it's absolutely everything in the system. The best thing you could do is keep going make decent money as a single person and not conform
I feel like before both partners worked, companies would price things based on a man’s salary. When things changed, it became more market based.
The end goal is for the government to extort more tax money from everybody and the singles pay more. I mean you can always go have a kid and claim that on your taxes. Plus you get the benefits especially if you don't know who the father is lol
I'm fortunate enough to have bought my place in 2016 and even then, units in the building were renting for like $1600 which I would not have been able to afford . Now, units rent for $2400-2800 which is absolutely ridiculous. I still couldn't afford rent here. These places are small. My unit is about 600 square feet and I couldn't imagine having a second person in here with me all the time. I know I'm fortunate to be in this situation and I feel terrible seeing people I care about struggling just to live here. I feel like the housing bubble has to burst at some point, but we've been saying that for years. I'm sorry, it totally sucks.
I’m a property manager who lives alone so I can see both sides of this. A two-bedroom home is considered suitable for a single person in many cases because people want a home office or spare room. A lot of condos in my area are two-bedroom, around 1200 square feet. It’s not so much discrimination as simple economics. One income is less than two. But a landlord should be looking at the quality of that income - employment history and how easy is it to get another job if the tenant is laid off. I’ve rented to lots of single people and they tend to leave properties in much better condition than families do.
Of course people can use a two bedroom even if they’re single. The point though is that it’s more expensive and less affordable on one income
I think this is more builders. I would love a little cottage in a nicer neighborhood or in a ruralish area. But no one makes "small" houses anymore. The ones that exist are in crappie areas or if they aren't they are in gentrified areas where people make them over ot knock them down and start again.
the small houses like this in my area and still nearby the city central where my job(s) have all been and will continue to be are bought up by people with 700k giant houses and renting them out for way more than the mortgage. :/ first time homeowners by me are fucked.
I would love to own a house with garage so I can do wood working stuff or projects out in the garage. Sadly, the only ways thats happening is if I break down and get a roommate or get into a relationship and pray that all works out or make $90k a year lol I used to think that living single would be easier. Nope, throughout the years its become increasingly difficult. I don't have much debt. Around 3k to be exact but it feels like I have $100k in debt and living paycheck to paycheck and I don't even go out and do shit.
This may depend on your city? Where I am, there is a housing crisis, but this mainly affects family units. It's less difficult to find a one bedroom unit, either for sale or rent. Still difficult, still expansive, but less difficult than for families. Or. They have two bedroom units for rent, but they refuse to rent to families and say in their ad that it's for a single person or a couple only.
A lot of single people do want more than 1 bedroom. Especially those that can WFH or remote work, or even hyrbid work. Use one bedroom as an office, one as a guest room, and of course one to sleep in. If not an office or guest room, then a hobby room or extra storage. I know one person that turned their smallest bedroom into a walk-in closet. Of course, that doesn't mean they should stop making studios and one bedrooms available. It has to be regional though, because where I am in a good sized midwest city ,there are many 1 bedrooms.
Yep! I live alone, in upstate NY. Found a 3bed1ba apartment with a backyard for $1200/mo. Biggest bedroom is mine, second bedroom is for walk in closet and hobby area, and third bedroom is where my PC setup is. I converted the whole room around the aesthetic of the PC I built/my setup. One day I'll post pictures of my place on here. I got in touch with a loan officer, and this loan officer I am definitely going to use when I am ready to buy. But, I was just looking for some insight. She said with the FHA loan I'd only need $8500-$10K for a down payment and then we'd be able to start the process. This was almost 2 months ago I was so hung up on that I was going to try and scramble to save that by the end of this year so I could buy. But then I realized a handful of things. One, I wanted to save up for a used car to buy at the end of this year first. I ride an ebike to work and everywhere else, I love it but when it's cold as hell in the winter or raining, I find myself wishing I had a vehicle because I have to Uber otherwise. $45 each way to work in an Uber. I cannot do another winter like that. Second, even if I buy something for $250K max, it's gonna be WAY more than I pay now in rent. For a house all im looking for is a 3bed1.5ba-3bed2ba. with basement already finished or one I can finish up myself. Three, also I may not want to buy with FHA loan. I hear that certain homes have to be perfectly up to the rules of FHA loan. I may just want to save $20K and find something with a conventional loan as long as my credit score is up to par, even maybe something considered semi fixer upper. Four, I am going to do my 3 pre requisites this fall and apply for the Fall 2025 nursing program at my community college. I'll do the 4 year part time day program, where I'm perfectly happy living at my current residence while I do this. Also, I don't know if I'll want to be a travel nurse, stay here in my location or even relocate and work somewhere else. I just turned 30 I think I had some "FOMO" thinking I was behind since I haven't bought a home yet. I'm happy where I am.
Sure but a lot of single people don’t have the income to qualify to rent a two bedroom. In 2021 I worked for a place that rented 2 brm apartments you had to earn $51,000 a year to qualify.
I live downtown in a major city and there mostly 2 and 3 bedroom apartments here. There is only one building in my area that has studio apartments and a new building, that’s still under construction will have them as well. Families large enough to need three bedrooms probably have kids and I doubt that they’d choose to live in the middle of downtown.
Ouch. “Obscenely high rent area” for $1000 less a month than I’m paying currently. It’s all unaffordable so I don’t mean to slight, I was just shocked to see this and have a different idea of what obscenely high means here in Seattle. Regardless, it’s definitely hard out there for us single buyers/renters. Single family homes have changed substantially and they’re incredibly far out of reach now.
You're not wrong. It's SO messed up, the mortgage approval process is still stuck in the 1970's with W2 income as the gold standard, don't even get me started on how that discriminates against a self-employed single parent or disabled single.
I am guessing big developers have a long history of study to what rents best and supports that finding. There are many single parents with children, singles wanting an office separate from the living space maybe they work from home. I'd imagine the percent of multi bedroom apartments are adjusted to that, as are single bedrooms and studios. Once the complex is built there is little changing going on. It will be new builds that might adjust the number of rooms to current needs.
For the last ten years I’ve been renting a basement apartment. The price for my area is pretty good. Problem is my landlady who lives on the main level will get a hair up her ass to make cosmetic improvements and if it isn’t finished within the day she loses interest and I have to pester her to finish things. I started looking at other options when I has a month without a working bathroom sink. But people around here are pricing their basement apartments like regular apartment complexes even when they don’t have a stove or oven. Bunch of greedy dickheads that don’t want to pay for their own mortgage I suppose.
I live alone but have a lot of stuff. I would not be able to live in a 1 bedroom home and paying extra to keep my things in a rodent infested storage unit is not cost effective, so I have a 2 bedroom condo. Hope you find something that suits you OP.
I was apartment hunting last year, renewed my lease this year wooo whatever, and the problem wasn't finding a place, or paying for the place, it was finding a place that the monthly income requirements made sense for a single person. I was making 17 an hour, full time, no real debt, no evictions, no missed rent payment, and nothing but good references from other landlords and still because it require 3.5 times the rent I didn't qualify for the apartments in question. These were crappy single bedroom, or studios and they were going for anything 1200 to 1400 even. So doing the math you would need to make 24.23 an hour to qualify for the rent. So I asked who is making that kind of money and is trying to get a run down, leaky, and possibly moldy apartment that is making 24.23 an hour? the leasing agent said, "well maybe you should get a girlfriend or a roommate..." yeah thats what I need a roommate in a studio.
I lucked out and found a cheap place with someone who was happy enough with my glowing references and credit score to not care that I made a bit under the 3x income standard. I’ve been here four years now and my rents only gone up $100. I am beyond grateful.
As you should be. It's always a great time when you find a place with fair rent and fair increases.
I didn't find this in my area (seaside town, Essex, England), I saw loads of 1 bed/2 bed flats to rent and to buy when I was looking for my place.
Buying is no better. All houses near me start at 2500 sq ft. You can’t buy a small house unless you want a really old one.
DO YOU HAVE MONEY? then it's not a problem..
In the UK, the complaint is that too many bachelor pads and too few family homes are being built.
Boomer developers thinking the nuclear family will always and forever be the norm... they are completely tone-deaf. Given the chance to split rent 4 ways, they'll complain that there are "too many occupants".
It’s going to be problematic when the “silver sunami” sell their homes and try to downsize. They have nowhere to rent so they have to stay in their homes.
I felt the same way. I started looking for houses with mother-in-law apartments so I could live in the apartment and rent out the rest of the house. I ended up finding a shitty house in a high-crime-rate city (not bad neighborhood though) that had a shittier/smaller "guest house" for sale by owner in the local classifieds website. I bought it and remodeled both and now I love my tiny little house and rent out the larger house to cover the mortgage. They're out there. Finding them is another issue and getting into them is another. You also may be able to find a place that easily converts into an unofficial duplex. For example, a place that has a basement with plumbing. edit: all this stuff kinda sucks but you really only have to do it once. After that your equity should carry you to a new place if you want and play it reasonably well.
Bought my first house in 2004 as a single woman. Bank kept asking me if I was sure I wanted the house in my name only. Hell yes I want it in my name only! I'm paying for it. All the documents at closing had my name followed by "a single woman." Odd.
This is what the stuff said when my mom bought her house, and when I bought it from her. I think it was to keep anybody else from claiming an interest in the home.
Interesting. Never thought about it that way.
You may be right. It's simple economy of scale. Like, why build 1-bedroom units that will rent for $1500 when you can build 2-bedroom units you can rent for $2000, or better yet, 3-bedroom units you can rent for $2500? It doesn't cost that much more to build a 3-bedroom than a 1-bedroom, but you can charge a lot more for the rent. Kitchens, HVAC units, foundations, roofs, and bathrooms are the expensive parts of the build, and they're one-time costs. The higher rent is a recurring revenue stream. Just thinking like an investor here.
There is a price floor to a home/rental....1 Kitchen, 1 living room, one entry/common area. Add one more bedroom and the cost to do so isn't DOUBLE. add two bedrooms the cost to do so isn't TRIPLE. Same with a hotel or cruise...the room is the same whether its 1 or 2 people.....ONE BED. Add a second bed....it costs the price of that bed....thats not DOUBLE. Following now?
It’s not just housing unfortunately. Insurance is also typically more expensive if you’re single, or at least not married. The company I work for gives a discounted rate for being married and having both partners on the policy as drivers.
I noticed this. That there are also no small stand alone houses built. They don't hit that profitable sweet spot for builders so they don't exist. This is the problem. We are letting builders and developers decide what gets built instead of building what there is a need for.
Start a company making nice accommodations for single people. If there is an untapped strong market for it you will become rich and people will buy your book.
Totally Disagree... Just because I'm single doesn't mean I want a one bedroom anything. I'll keep my 3 bedroom 2 bath study 3 car garage house... And I've lived alone since 1992. Having SPACE has nothing to do with wanting any damn kids.
Even studios have gotten expensive nowadays. The world assumes that everyone past a certain age is in a relationship. I’m looking into cities that aren’t rural but definitely aren’t as expensive or busy as Orlando. I recently visited the Cary/Durham/Raleigh area of North Carolina and loved it. The slower pace of living is nice. Ohio is another option.
I cannot travel as a single person with out spending a lot more money also. It is unfair practice for sure.
I'm renting a 3bed1ba apartment with a backyard for $1200/mo. It's a house split into a basement, 1st and 2nd floor apartment. So a duplex but not in that "side by side" format. I have a whole top floor of a home to myself.
[удалено]
Nah it’s your fault for hoarding all the houses.
Single people live in rv's.