My house – from mistake to source of income
Buying a house – that sounds like security, like freedom, like “having arrived”.
A home for the family. Something of your own that lasts. A retreat, a piece of independence.
I too had that dream back then: a home of my own, a garden, my own piece of land.
The thought of it was tempting. It felt like maturity, like responsibility – like the logical next step in life.
And I took it. Without much doubt.
I was convinced I was doing the right thing – because that’s just what you do.
Because they say owning is better than renting. Because it’s an investment, after all. Because you’re “making provisions” with it.
Looking back, buying the house was one of my worst financial decisions.
Not because the house was bad. Not because something “went wrong”. But because I underestimated what owning property really means:
Obligation. Dependency. Standstill.
Suddenly, there was no longer the freedom I had hoped for – but a loan that stretched decades into the future.
Suddenly, there was no longer the desire for travel, movement, lightness – but responsibility, bureaucracy and the constant fear of the next unexpected bill.
I have learned:
A house can tie you down before you know where you actually want to go.
It can bind you to one place while your heart has long since been somewhere else.
And it can cripple you financially – if you buy it at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons.
Today I know: My wish was not “a house”.
My wish was peace. Stability. A feeling of home.
But I could have had that in other ways too – more flexibly, more cheaply, more independently.
This mistake cost me a lot of money.
But it also gave me clarity:
Not everything that promises security brings freedom.
And not every social norm fits your life.
I don’t regret the step – but I wouldn’t take it again today.
Because what I was really looking for, I didn’t find in the land register – but on trails, out in nature, in movement, in experiences.
And in the realisation that owning less often means living more.
The reason was simple: I bought the house just for myself – without a source of income, without a strategy, purely based on gut feeling. It was meant to be a home. But then life got in the way – more precisely: the divorce.
Suddenly I was left with a large house, high costs and no real use for it anymore. And it was precisely at this point that the bad decision began to turn into a good one: I rented the house out.
💡 A change of perspective
Today I know: A house solely for personal use is rarely a good investment. It is a luxury item. It costs money every month – maintenance, interest, upkeep, running costs. But it brings you no income.
A house only becomes a real investment when it generates income – e.g. through renting, an annexe flat or commercial use. Then the property sustains itself (at least in part).
👉 My personal conclusion after this experience:
- 🏚️ A house just for yourself: Nice, but expensive.
- 🏘️ A house with rental income: A real financial advantage.
- 🤝 Renting after divorce: Gave me breathing room – and showed me what is possible.
Why I would buy differently today
Today I would never again buy a house that doesn’t also generate income at the same time. Those who combine “living” and “investing” think longer-term – and more freely.
🔁 Have you had such moments of realisation too? Or are you thinking about owning property? Feel free to talk about it – in the comments or by message.