How Crazy Would It Be?

To continue the saga of How To Buy A House: Under-Employed Edition, I'm beginning to see the financial possibility of home ownership. I'll have a down payment from my divorce settlement, and the mortgage payments would be lower than my rent. The sticky wicket is this: no employment history to speak of, and a part-time job that barely covers my work wardrobe, let alone my rent! Hmmmph. Buying a house would save on the monthly bills, but I can't buy a house because I can't afford my current monthly bills.

Here comes the crazy part ... I'm considering asking a friend to buy a house with me. A female friend who likes my kid, my cats, and my sensibilities. One who can offer the employment history to coincide with my down payment money, and split the mortgage payments with me. Someone who will be easy-going about the eventual re-financing if either of us decides to move out for whatever reason. Someone I'll like having around.

I've written about how important my girlfriends are to me, and how proud I am to have made some wonderful ones over the past few years. So it really isn't surprising to me that when considering sharing my home with someone, it's my girlfriends I mentally page through. After all, I may be in love, but I'm not going to do the let's-move-in-together thing, not for a good long while. And somehow it doesn't feel like I'm abandoning my independence if I share a house with a fellow traveler--you know, one I can bum a tampon from in a pinch!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go play "Sistahs are doin' it for themselves" on my iPod.