buy an apartment

I am years and years away from affording a down payment (having extra savings for an emergency is SO much more important than owning a place to live). Looking at the lovely photos of beautifully decorated apartments in real estate ads is fun, but it makes me feel bad because others my age can afford them but I can’t. I don’t need to figure out my price range or what neighborhood I want to live in just yet – I don’t even have a down payment fund started. There are other things I need to save for first.

- I want to have my own space and be able to decorate it (paint it, hang pictures)
- I want to feel like there is somewhere that is mine and where I can stay as long as I want.
- Over the long, long term, it will be cheaper than renting.

I want to own an apartment rather than a house because I don’t really need that much space and I live in an urban area. I was always hoping to own a place to live before I turned 30, but now I think my goal is to do so before I turn 35. So difficult to save money!