A Dallas man says his wife is an alcoholic so they want to buy a home closer to family. Rachel Cruze and George Kamel say it’s a bad idea

"We would be buying a house that's probably about twice as expensive as the one we currently have … I'm pretty sure in two to three years after we make the move, we will not be able to afford it. I don't think we're going to have the income for it in that amount of time," Gary told hosts (1) George Kamel and Rachel Cruze.

"Under normal circumstances, it would be okay…the reason I don't think we're going to be able to afford it is, you know, the doctors are saying if things continue with her, you know, she'll probably be dead in three years" he added.

Here's what The Ramsey Show hosts had to say about Gary's situation.

When renting is the right call

As of right now, Gary's wife is the sole income earner of the household, making $250K to $300K annually while working from home. Gary is a stay-at-home father, and mentioned that at his previous job in a management position for a non-profit he made $50K. He says he's never made more than that annually, and hasn't been working for five years.

They've been looking for a home near Gary's parents for the past year. They made two offers, but then Gary's wife was diagnosed with cancer related to her alcoholism, and everything was put on hold to deal with that.

Before then, they were looking at homes around $700K. They currently owe $280K on a home that they could sell for around $375K. In other words, they would walk away with around $80K if they sold it.

With all those details in mind, Kamel suggested that Gary move closer to his family, but rent for a while: "that solves this problem temporarily until we figure out what's going on with the finances" he said.

According to 2025 data from Ruby Home Luxury Real Estate (2), "owning a home costs $385 to $830 more per month than renting a typical 2-bedroom unit, and $575 to $910 more when comparing to recently financed homes."

While renting does not build the same equity as owning, in trying times like Gary's family is going through, the money saved can make a big difference.

Gary added that his parents have offered to give him $100K to $150K for a down payment as a gift, but Kamel and Cruze still suggest renting.

"Would [your parents] just cover rent for a year in the meantime as you guys kind of find your footing?" Kamel asked. Gary said if he asked, they "certainly would."

"I might use part of [their gift] to say hey, cover rent. We just got to figure out our life and then you'll know a whole lot more a year from now if things are going to get better or if they're going to get worse" Kamel advised.

Getting back to work

The other piece to Gary's situation is that he has no income of his own right now. Part of this is because of his choice to be a stay-at-home father, since he doesn't feel comfortable leaving his son alone with his wife.