This is a post/poster that has drunk way too much of the MMM cool-aid.
The irony. I'm so marginal that I often refer to myself as Must-"ish"-ian. I stated my case in dramatic terms, because I find it amusing to phrase things that way, period. (Hi, I'm Zephyr, have we met? I like dramatic words).
Real Estate is not a consumer good,
A personal residence absolutely is. It's one of the least worst ones, but it still is. It requires furnishing and upkeep, produces no cash flow, historically tracks the rate of inflation for a real return of 0%, and represents for many people the single largest outlay displacing actual investments.
Wanna talk to me about rentals, I'll tell you about how I'm beating the stock market with transitional multifamilies, but buying a bigger house to live in is a drag on FI. If it's what you really want, it should be the last thing you do before retiring.
and your subjective opinion about the relative issues or merits of this particular house are entirely irrelevant.
This is a discussion forum. Categorically dismissing the opinions of another on any topic, rather than engaging them on their own merits, is not only rude and uncalled-for, it misses the entire point of our being here and even calls into question the purpose of the site's existence. I've literally never talked to anyone on this forum in such a dismissive fashion and if I ever do, I hope someone calls me out for it.
Perhaps you have no use for anything but a shoe box to sleep in,
Bad assumption.
but there are many quite good uses for a larger house and/or having some land whether it's keeping horses, frequent entertaining, or you are planning for a future that includes children or taking care of elderly family/friends down the road.
This is all fine and good, but fundamentally indistinct from upgrading that Scion to a Tahoe,
pre-emptively because someday you
might need that third row and tow package).
In short, get over yourself.
Like I said, you're making way too much of perceived tone. We're all here for slightly different reasons, but life hacking to get ahead fast is the general thrust, and doing what this family is doing will put them behind, as opposed to many other alternatives of which we are all aware. I'm not going to apologize for straying into hyperbole while making that statement, because the statement is correct. They are free to make their choices, as are we all, but they would do well to be fully cognizant - as most first-world people are not, and as most LBYM/FI/FIRE/ERE/MMM-ers are, or strive to be - of the cause-and-effect relationships between those choices and their future financial state. Either way, they can do whatever they want. I'm not gonna worry about it... I'll be off pursuing my own agenda of charity work and beach time.
Cheers. :)
