Buying a home when you have Crohn's

My family is renting a small apartment.  My wife has told me many times how she dreamed of buying a home (preferrably a single family residence).  From my current income, we can afford a modest home.  But my Crohn's Disease added a lot of uncertainties to the home buying decision.  I have had my current job for almost 4 years.  I feel it is quite stable.  But my Crohn's is like a time bomb that it can explode at any time. If my disease becomes out of control, then I will probably lose my income and may lose my home (I am the breadwinner in my family).  But we cannot delay this home buying decision for ever.

So what is your experience on this? I would like to listen to other people's perspectives.  Thanks.

Are you able to get disability insurance through work? That may give you some peace of mind.

We purchased a home that was below what we were approved for, just incase one of us lost our jobs. Just b/c you get approved for 400,000 does not mean you need to buy a home for that much. Right now is a great time to buy there is a lot of homes on the market for cheap. I suggest doing a lot of research on your own. My first home I put all my trust in the realtor and knew nothing and ended up in a bad situation.

We also have 6 mths. of living expenses in saves, we figure if one of us looses our job we can take a job make as half as much as we do now and still be fine for over a 2 yrs.

Hi, I'm in the home buying process myself and have had Crohns for 2 years. I'm a little bit paranoid myself about all the "what ifs". I have a small payroll deduction for short term disabililty (like $12 a paycheck), which if I'd get really sick and end up needing surgery and a long recovery period, I'd receive 60% of my salary for a few months (I think 3 months).  What my husband and I did then was to make sure we can afford the mortgage payments on his income plus 60% of mine. We also have almost 6 months of savings put aside. Our goal is to keep that 6 months of salary in savings and try to put extra on our mortgage payment each month to pay the mortgage off sooner than 30 years. I'd definitely look into short and long term disability through your workplace. The peace of mind is worth it!

I agree with Erik. You have to pay rent or a mortgage. Not being to pay either one would suck. Might as well have a mortgage. And can't your wife work if she had to? I don't mean to sound harsh but just because you are currently the breadwinner doesn't mean you have to be. God forbid you get too sick, then she needs to work. Marriage is a give and take. And if she is a stay at home mom, if you had to stay home due to sickness you would become the stay at home dad. No need to have 2 stay at home parents.