The Real Reason I Don't Own a House in the UK

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]Oh, you've been in the UK for years and you don't have a house. Why do people ask that question? I honestly don't get it. And this is common in the immigrant community. It's more like if you're doing well abroad, you should already own a house. Like home ownership is proof that your sacrifices worked. And to be honest, I felt that pressure when I first came into, you know, you see all those people posting house keys online, new kitchens, you know, captioned finally home owners. And if you're not careful, you start feeling you need to speed things up, you know, maybe I should hurry up to, maybe I should quickly get into the game. One thing I have learned about money is that you should never build your financial life based on public pressure. Social media never shows you the full picture. It doesn't show you the stress, it doesn't show you, you know, the bills. It doesn't show you that people are or people can be house rich and cash poor.

[00:00:49]So, the question I ask myself is do I really, really think this is the best financial decision at this point?

[00:00:56]Because buying a house is not a small decision. People say they just buy a house, like you're buying lunch. But when you break it down, it's a huge financial commitment. You're talking about the deposit, solicitor fees, mortgage payments, insurance, council tax, repairs, furniture, service charge, rising interest rate. And that's the scary part. When interest rate rises, your monthly payment rises. And sometimes people just calculate based on the mortgage payment. They don't think about everything else attached. So, your rates, your your monthly payment can rise from about 1,200 to 1,400 eventually just rises. Where do you put that in the calculation? Because at the initial stage, you're probably not you're probably not considering that.

[00:01:38]And you see this kind of pressure can change your whole lifestyle. And that is one reason I didn't want to rush it. I think at this point in my life, you know, I value my flexibility. I value that breathing room because sometimes mortgage can quietly lock you into decisions. You may have to stay in a job that you hate because the bills are too high. You may avoid taking risks or starting something new because your monthly survival number becomes massive.

[00:02:03]As an immigrant, financial life is already layered. Most of us are supporting families back home. Some of us are building investments, you know.

[00:02:12]Some of us are sorting out immigration matters. Some of us are planning for children university fees and we're also trying to create some sort of stability in our lives, you know, juggling two places at the same time. So, it is something you have to carefully think about. Will this strengthen or weaken my financial position? Another thing people rarely talk about is opportunity cost.

[00:02:33]Every pound tied up in property is money that cannot go elsewhere. If you put down a down payment, that money is locked into that house. The question is, could that money have been invested?

[00:02:45]Could it have been used to build a business or used to create more income streams? Those are important questions people don't ask enough. I also think many people have been conditioned to believe that property is the only way to build assets or to build wealth. So, once they start earning, the first thing they think about is, I want to buy a house. But wealth can be built in different ways. It can be built through businesses. It can be built through stocks and ETFs. It can be built through pension fund.

[00:03:11]It can be built through multiple income streams. It can be built through cash flow producing assets. A house is an asset, yes, but it's not the only >> [clears throat] >> only asset class in the world. And and I like to say, I'm not against property. I may buy a house eventually. I probably will. But I want to buy it from a position of strength, not pressure. I don't want to buy make emotional decisions. I want to do it when it makes financial sense. I don't want to buy it because my friends bought it. I don't want to buy it to prove that, yeah, I'm I'm doing okay now. No, I don't want to buy it to tell myself that I'm not feeling bad. No. And And people will say, oh, you're paying rent. Rent is dead money. Blah, blah, blah." Nobody also talks about the money lost to mortgage interest, to maintenance, to repairs, to fees. Every financial decision costs money. The goal is not to avoid the cost completely. The goal is to choose the cost that gives us the best overall life position. For me right now, that has meant focusing on investing, building income streams, growing my cash reserves, and creating some flexibility for myself. A house can make you look wealthy without actually making you financially strong. Some people own beautiful houses, no emergency fund, no other investment anywhere, and they don't even have the financial breathing room. That's not the kind of wealth I want. And I think the hardest part is ignoring the society's timeline. You know, people celebrate visible success. They can see a house, so yes, you're successful, but they cannot see the discipline, you know, the the investments, the patience, the long-term strategy. Those things people can't see, but they can see a house, and that means you're doing well. At the end of the day, my real goal is not just owning property. My goal is freedom.

[00:04:56]Freedom to choose, freedom to pivot, freedom to invest, freedom to sleep peacefully at night. You can own a house and still feel financially trapped, and I want you all to always understand that. And you can rent and then still build serious wealth. So, there is no hard or fast rule. Whatever works for you. So, yes, one day I may buy a house in the UK, but when I do, you know, like I said, it won't be from pressure, and it won't be from comparison. And until that time comes, I'm okay building wealth differently. I'll see you in my next video, where I talked about what you can do if you are over 50 with no retirement savings, and I'll see you there.