Staying with in-laws or Buying a House?

If you are an Asian, you must accept that when you get married, you are not only marry your spouse, but you are marrying into the family. So after marriage, there is a possibility you are staying with your in-laws. In-laws come in different types. Some are supportive and respect the marital boundaries. Some act like it is your duty to treat them nice and serve their needs.

If you have a choice, which would you choose, staying with in-laws or buying a house? That's really individual preferences I guess and how close are you relationship with your in-laws.

If you have a very close relationship with your in-laws, and you have a tight financial, probably staying with in-laws is the best option. You don't need to come out a big lump sum of money to buy a house. You also save money on others expenses by sharing electrical and water bills, meal, etc.

However, if you are looking for a living area among two of you and your financial is good, you could possibly get a house. However, you need to understand beside putting downpayment for the house and paying housing loan by monthly installment, you will have a lot of other expenses such as electrical bill, water bill, tv cable bill, phone bill, internet bill, etc.

If your relationship with your in-laws are not that close, you might need to consider to get a house. Chinese idiom said, "To meet is fine, To stay together is difficult". If you and your in-laws has your own way of lifestyle which are totally opposite, eg. you like your house to be simple and tidy, yet your in-laws like to keep things that full of memories, it's better not to stay in the same house. It most likely will end up in quarrel and this definately put your spouse into miserable situation. I heard a lot from others, because of in-laws relationship problem, eventually the couples broke up.

Work out the best option between you and your spouse. A good and healthy marriage requires effort and team work. Beside that, a strong happy family need a good relationship between all the members, including your in-laws, brothers and sisters.