I'm still young and don't have kids, I can't think of any reason to buy a large home with no potential investment possibility, it would financially handicap my future and lifestyle of eating out and travel.  

The Key is always budgeting and prioritizing your goals, everything in personal finance is “personal” no ones goals and lifestyles are the same and they shouldn’t be treated as such.

If you have substantial savings you should be house hacking multifamily in Seattle every year, or if your lifestyle doesn't support that buying 1 short term rental (with 10% down using a second home or vacation home loan) or 1 long term rental (standard 20-25% down) a year.

She swears up and down after telling us all this that she is a changed person... sorry, but after the first felony drug offense, it took another 15 years for it to sink in that you need to change your lifestyle?

Therefore, spending time to dream about and planning for a tax-advantaged lifestyle only to find out later that it can't work is, in my humble opinion, a waste of time.While I don't claim to be an expert, if you read my numerous replies to posts and the reactions thereon in this international forum, you'll find out that the content is pretty darn accurate and has helped many people.

I invest exclusively overseas as I can get better returns than at home in the right places but I wouldn't touch Thailand with a 10-foot pole, unless it's for lifestyle.

Lifestyle or investmentIs the property for your own use?

I'm not sure what your definition of a nice lifestyle is.

Ever since I was about 12, I've had a vision in my head about where I wanted to end up, what I wanted to do, what my lifestyle would be like, etc...

These guys may not be the only ones but they are slowly improving housing values and lifestyles for Gary residents.