Photography: Ashley Kelemen
To be married and to start a family is a huge milestone for everyone. Some of us can't help but to invest a lot in the relationship even if it's not official yet. We're talking about future investment in realistic form, which should be considered as joined assets before you're married. Nowadays, more and more young couples are buying a house together before saying 'I do'. Would this be a smart move?
You may be bound with your partner, but you're not legally bound until you're married. Thus buying a house together may lead to risks of losses or any kind of discomfort when something happens (let's say, knock on wood, you break up). Let's say, to make the legal process more convenient, you decide to buy a house, put it under his name, and then you'd chip in by transferring your share into his account. When you decide to end the relationship, you would be at a disadvantage, legally and financially.
And that would not even be the biggest concern. Before the wedding bells ring, you are not officially committed and some things can change at any time. Before you are officially married, you need to see your partner objectively, to discover if he or she is the right person for you, to learn if you are certain about sharing the rest of your life with this one person. It's a huge decision to make that requires a lot of thoughts. We'd hate that if you can't be objective enough just because you've already made a down payment on a house and decide to spend the rest of your life with the wrong person over a few thousand dollars.
