Buying a first home should be a milestone worth celebrating. But for one 24-year-old, the excitement was quickly dampened by a friend’s sarcastic reaction.
The first-time buyer had just made an offer on a spacious 1,400-square-foot apartment and excitedly shared the news with a close friend by text.
“Guess who just put an offer down on a condo?” he wrote. Her reply was blunt: “Your parents?”
He explained that the unit he had mentioned several months earlier had come back onto the market.
“Apparently, the previous sale fell through and the owner needs to sell quickly, so they lowered the asking price,” he said. “With the money I’ve saved, plus the inheritance I received after my granddad passed away two years ago, I’m hoping I get the place.”
Rather than congratulate him, his friend launched into a lengthy warning, accusing him of making a “reckless decision.”
“I just feel spending all that to live in a cubicle is an extremely poor choice,” she wrote.
“I know you said you don’t think you’ll find anyone soon and that you don’t need much space because all you do is game. But as you get older, I feel you will 100 percent regret not having your own space to do things, host people, have a yard and enjoy the outdoors.”
The 24-year-old first-time buyer had just made an offer on a spacious 1,400-square-foot apartment before sharing the news with a close friend by text
Her criticism continued.
“I just don’t see it as owning when you have such a small space, a whole bunch of neighbours and building management to deal with. It just seems like a poor choice.”
She encouraged him to wait, save more money and eventually buy a house instead.
“You could have your own space for your car, a yard, and the fact that you’re likely to find someone and have a family means you’ll have room to grow,” she said.
The friend then sent him a “list of things to consider,” including annual maintenance fees, the approvals required for renovations, limited privacy and potentially slower market growth if he decided to sell the apartment later.
“Yearly maintenance fees are low in the first year so people will be dumb enough to purchase, and those fees go up 20 to 50 percent after the second year,” she claimed. She also argued that he would not have “full property ownership” by living in an apartment.
“Your life and your choices, but I feel you are jumping the gun and making a reckless decision,” she concluded.
Taken aback, the man replied: “That’s fair, and I appreciate you looking out for me, but I’m so excited. This is all I’ve wanted for a long time.”
He added: “If I meet someone and we want to start a family or move in together, we’ll get a different place. We can cross that bridge when the time comes.”
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His unenthusiastic friend sent a snarky reply: ‘Well best of luck then lol.
‘I can’t wait for the “you were right”.’
He ended the conversation with: ‘Thanks! Good thing I don’t have a lot to move.’
Sharing their text exchange, the man said they used to be ‘close’ but he noticed his friend getting ‘progressively distant and meaner over the past four months.
‘When I shared the news, I was expecting at least a “congratulations” and this is what I got,’ he said.
‘I thought it was time… I decided to cut off a friend.’
The young man said he was looking forward to buying his first home as he’d been living with his parents in a tiny bedroom.
‘This is going to be a huge upgrade for me,’ he said.
‘The place I put an offer on is 1,400-square-foot and is nearly the same size as the house I’m currently in – let alone the fact that I live with my parents and my only personal space is a small bedroom.’
Instead of offering words of encouragement or support, his friend went on a bizarre rant, claiming he was ‘making a reckless decision’
He added: ‘She knows I’ve been saving up for a place for a long time and she knew how much it meant to me yet still said what she did.’
What baffled him the most was that his friend was renting with her boyfriend.
His post was met with more than 4,200 comments, with many suggesting the friend may be ‘jealous’ about his purchase.
‘That’s a whole lot of wrong words to say, “Congratulations I’m happy for you”. What a bad friend,’ one said.
‘I’d block and never look back. This response is so sh**. I can’t believe there are people so miserable out there,’ another shared.
‘That is not your friend. That is a person actively hoping you fail and have things go terribly for you so they can have a nice “I told you so”,’ one suggested.
‘When she said, “Your parents?” I read that as a clear indicator that she was hugely jealous. She cannot bear the thought that he got his s*** together sufficiently to make this big move,’ another added.
Meanwhile, others shared how their lives changed after purchasing an apartment.
‘I bought a tiny condo in my city. I was still able to host parties and friends, it was a studio style setup. Then I met my now-husband, who owned his own house and yard, and moved in with him. The condo is now an investment for me. You live your life on your own timeline, not worrying about if or when you meet someone,’ one said.
‘I had my condo for 30 years. It’s perfect for a first time home owner. Guess what I regret doing? Selling my beautiful condo a few years ago and buying my too large home with all of the things your friend says you needed,’ another revealed.