I owned a house for six years. It was built in the 70s. When we bought it we knew we needed to do some work on it, but soon it seemed like the house was a bottomless pit in which we had to keep throwing money. Every year there was something big that needed to be fixed. Painting outside, replace bathroom after leak, replace a ceiling after another leak, replace a complete window frame because the wood was rotten (present from the previous owner), redo the whole yard, replace the kitchen... now if you're handy, that's no problem. But I am not handy plus I have a very demanding job. I rent an apartment now. Best. decision. ever. I've never felt so free. Especially after all the trouble in the housing market, I was so glad I was able to get rid of my house without being left with a debt.

Buying might mean investing in the future, but to me it felt like a big ball and chain. I'm not saying I won't buy ever again, but I'm definitely going to be very careful with what I buy and think it through really well before I do that again.