Adventures from the bedrooms of African women

Renting is for the birds: Shag buddies versus long term partners

On a previous post about ‘shag buddies’ one of the regular commentators on this blog Kofi stated, ‘renting is for the birds’ – where renting refers to shag buddies… Now I’ve been in the renting business for quite a few years now and now I’m thinking its time to buy a house. But I don’t think there are any suitable houses around. Most of the houses I see and covet already have tenants or are not exactly to my specifications. I like spacious houses, houses in which I don’t feel restricted, where I can move about freely and not feel like anyone is trying to chain me to the kitchen sink…

At the same time I wonder if I can really stop renting. Renting has its pros and cons. There are some houses that are nice to chill out in a few months but you know that’s not where you want to live permanently. That kind of house is not where you want to raise your family or invest too much in…at the same time you can also get attached to the house that you’re renting and that really sucks cos both you and the landlord (landlady) know that this was not meant to be your permanent home.

So herein lies the dilemma. Yes renting may be for the birds but buying a house can be downright difficult. You need to raise your deposit, get a mortgage, and identify the right house…actually I think the latter must be the most difficult thing of all. I feel like there are very few ideal houses in Ghana that are not already being lived in. And how the hell do you resist the temptation to rent?

Your thoughts?

Posted on August 31, 2010. by Nana Darkoa.
Filed under Relationships.
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There are 12 comments to this post.

Sep 1, 2010
6:28 pm

Mike has this to say,

If the US economy has anything to teach us here, it is that Buying is not for everybody.
Some will have to Buy, some will forever Rent, others will have to inhabit monasteries & convents.
I travel light so I don’t expect moving to take a toll on me. I plan on being free as a bird if I should buy and that is why I won’t employ an agent to find a house for me.

Sep 2, 2010
6:31 pm

kk has this to say,

fine literary work ‘for adults’. conclusion: both males and females don’t like to take ‘full responsilities’ so the renting would always go on. Perhaps the only place where it did not take was the garden of eden, remember the ratio was 1:1.

Sep 2, 2010
7:45 pm

Kofi Ametewee has this to say,

Yep, in my attempt at levity, I omitted to explain my wistful conclusion on why renting was for the birds. I’ve been a lifelong renter, so you’d think that I’d endorse renting. And I’ve been a renter of purpose, the properties have all to a one been worthwhile divertissements.

So, what am I complaining about?

The side of renting that weighs on the soul in later life, is its sheer purposelessness as a way of life. Rental, for a sensitive soul, is an accretion of bewilderment at Les Temps Perdus. Where were you in August ’97 when Princess Di died? I was in Sag Harbor, NY, in a beautiful garden hut, shacking up with a beautiful Italian documentary maker. A smart man would have bought instead of speculating that future would be better. That was a plateau, but I didn’t know it then.

Sep 3, 2010
7:10 pm

Nana Darkoa has this to say,

@Mike – Hahahah, I love your metaphors. By the way, how do you plan on being as free as a bird if you should buy?

@kk – at ‘fine literary work for adults’. I did wonder if I hadn’t gone a tad overboard with my housing scenarios – i don’t know if I agree that we do not like to take ‘full responsibilities’ which is why renting goes on. I suspect renting is a bit addictive, you get a taste for it and then its hard to stop.

@Kofi A – Eish Kofi! Infact I like your brofo papa! And of course the Francais which I do not understand – the time of what? Has Perdus anything to do with perdition? I’m too lazy to google…so another reason for buying!

Sep 3, 2010
8:03 pm

Mike has this to say,

Free as a bird = zero restriction & having that boyfriend-girlfriend lifestyle.
Instead of the very stiff, dry & boring “thing” that marriages tend to transform into.

I believe I can achieve that by making sure Bonita & I know and are clear on our needs & priorities.
Some men want fufu for breakfast everyday after they get married.
Not me. I’ll want to see my hot girlfriend. I’ll do my part to not let life get in the way.
That’s why I’ll choose a Bonita that will not want life to get in the way either.

Wherever you are, Bonita, I’ll find you.

Sep 4, 2010
1:29 am

Nana has this to say,

The simple solution is rent more than one place but know your limits. It solves the attachment and restriction issues. The only way to enjoy a house is by building it yourself whenever you are ready. The key word is “ready”

Sep 5, 2010
1:51 pm

kwaku has this to say,

interesting….its hard getting…. the ideal place , but then its great having something that will be yours….its worth it, after all the hassle of going to acquire it ,,,,to me makes it worthwhile…i so hate landlords and their revised..rates every 1 year…

Sep 7, 2010
1:00 am

Ewiase has this to say,

you forgot about the site you buy your land. if you live abroad and you go to buy land in the dry season, it can be a different story when it rains and it becomes water logged.

there are times it is better to rent before looking for a good land to buy, but the question is does good land exist?

Sep 27, 2010
1:45 pm

J. has this to say,

I think buying a house is over rated. Position of power also holds an effect. i would rather be the land lord meaning the buyer would have to come look for me and which also means, i get a better look at the buyer ( this is for people who want to sell their house )

Renting at the moment seems better at this point in my life for me. Gives me the chance to search the market till i’m actually ready to buy a house…….NEVER AND I MEAN NEVER BUY A HOUSE OVER SEA’S IF YOU DO NOT PLAN ON MOVING THERE….THE HOUSE WILL FALL APART.

Sep 28, 2010
12:23 pm

Ebenezer has this to say,

@Nana Darkoa: of course you forget to mention, that in the rent process, someone is renting your ‘house’ too! The sad fact about renting is, no one really wants to invest in property that isn’t really theirs; so by the time your rent is up, you usually find that your tenant(s) have left a lot of things ‘damaged’.

Go through the cycle long enough, and you’ll find that you become increasingly tired of spending all that money on maintenance; then no one wants to come rent your ‘house’ anymore…and it sits alone…rotting quite horribly…that’s when you start giving it out for incredibly cheap, hoping that someone would just take it!

My advice? Sell the ‘house’ while it’s still in top form! So yes…I agree with Kofi A…you can stay at ‘Les Temps Perdu’ for too long…

@Kofi A: are you an English professor?

Oct 3, 2010
6:15 pm

Nana Darkoa has this to say,

@Ebenezer – Oh Goodness, that’s a terribly depressing position on ‘renting’ but i get your point Hmmm, na waa ooo

Oct 3, 2010
6:25 pm

Nana Darkoa has this to say,

Oh gosh, just realised there are comments above Ebenezer’s that i haven’t responded to. I have been such a slacker nowadays…

@ Mike. Lol! That was almost Romantic – finding Bonita and all that

@ Nana – I like the idea of building your own place when you are ready. I have always thought that multiple renting is how guys have solved the emotional attachment to temporary housing issue…alas, women seem to find that more difficult to do. Note: not impossible, just more difficult. Socialisation?

@ Heheheheheheeh…revising the rates every year! that’s a good one

Ewiase – Oh don’t be such a sceptic! i see plenty of prime estate all of the time!!! only when it comes to ‘la’ land though! Good ‘le’ land is hard to find in my experience.

@J – Sounds like you have had some experience with buying overseas?

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