U.S. Campus Life Rent or buy? By Masako Yamada	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
借りるか買うか 不動産業者が筆者に送ってきた "relocation package" と呼ばれる引越し資料の数々。

Not too long ago, it wasn't common for young professors to wait until they got tenure before they decided to have children. I think this is partly so they could be assured of their financial capability to raise a child and partly because the process of getting tenure is so challenging that it's difficult to put a child's interests first.

Things are different now. Back then, it wasn't uncommon for professors in their mid-30s to have tenure. Nowadays, there are many aspiring professors who are in their mid-30s, but who haven't even stepped on the first rung toward tenure: assistant professor. Many people spend years in the "intermediate" stage of postdoc, instructor, research associate or adjunct part-time professor.

These people don't wait around for the perfect job before they start to have a family. There are many postdocs in my lab who are married, have kids and own a home, usually in that order. It's financially very tough and in most cases, both husband and wife must work to make ends meet even though they want to settle down. This is a snapshot of the modern postdoc.

It's in this context that I've started to discuss buying a home in Albany, where I will be moving in the fall. I've already been in touch with three real estate brokers in the area. Some of my labmates have been surprised by my desire to buy a house, since I don't seem to have many other characteristics that home buyers often have. I suppose my actions can seem strange to those for whom buying a house is a serious matter where one essentially selects the place where one will raise one's children and where one will die. I don't expect to die in Albany; heck, I don't know if I'll even have kids there. I can always sell.

I suppose it's also surprising to many that I could possibly afford to buy a house. When I briefly considered buying an apartment in Boston several years ago and took a home-buying class, I realized that even graduate students could afford to buy real estate as long as they planned carefully. As long as one can cough up some money for the initial down payment, paying the mortgage is like paying rent.

The down payment doesn't have to be huge. It's considered desirable to have at least 20 percent, but friends of mine have bought homes with a down payment of 10 percent or even 5 percent. There are tax benefits to owning a home and there is a high probability of later selling the home at a profit. By explaining these financial benefits, my initially shocked friends have started to see that buying a home can be considered a smart move; it doesn't necessarily mean that a person is making a huge lifestyle decision. As a young, single woman, one might think that I'm trying to make a kind of political statement about my social and financial independence, but it's not the case at all. I'm not trying to shut anybody out! Thankfully, none of my friends have shown surprise that I'm pursuing these plans in spite of my being a woman.

I'm very excited about being a homeowner soon, but I've decided against buying a home before I move to Albany. Even real estate brokers who are eager to sell have agreed with my desire to rent a place first. I don't know the area at all and it would be impossible for me to decide where I want to live simply on the basis of a few weekend trips. I have ideas and images, but I don't know where to look. I want to live in an area that has lots of restaurants and stores within walking distance. I also want to live in a place that doesn't require lots of repairs or maintenance. Keeping the bottom line in mind, I also want to buy a place where real estate values have been going up and where I wouldn't have trouble reselling later. Even though I'm not interested in the quality of the public schools now, since I don't have children, people have advised me that this is often the best indicator of prime property.

I've decided to rent a small place in Albany for at least a few months before deciding to buy a place. The rent is cheap and I feel this would help me make a much better decision. I'll also have a better salary and more money in the bank, so I might be able to get a better mortgage. Home buying is a time-consuming process and these are the sorts of issues that I've been considering day by day.

Shukan ST: April 12, 2002

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