32M 34F can we recapture our fire?

Hello everyone I want to do my best to describe my situation without embarrassing the person I want to be with or myself

Long story short about a year and 2 months ago I entered into a long distance relationship after meeting my girlfriend for the first time

Our relationship has been met with significant challenges, she has two kids and she is currently working on her situation in multiple ways. I own my own home but there is a catch, I put someone I was in a relationship in the past on the mortgage so I could get a cheaper payment and some help paying the bills

The roommate situation dissolved besides me having to get the second name removed from my mortgage everything is in order for me to refinance and remove that person

It's been hard to overcome, between the hardship inflicted on myself by trusting that this other person would continue to pay their share,my partner has significant challenges with CPTSD and a cognitive disorder that doesn't stop her from taking in new information but it takes time and sometimes she is bothered by sensitive information that may have been miscommunicated

I have been in my house in Michigan for 3 years, my roommate has been gone since December of 2024. My partner needs reassurance and we have been talking about me selling my house when I am able to get the name off and be sure that I don't have a mountain of debt moving across multiple states and burden her in any way

Is it realistic to think that I can sell my house in a few months or a year or even a few years when I am in a situation where I am really struggling?

I don't have enough of an education to make a large change in my job at the moment due to debt, a lot has changed in the past year but she is very upset and spends as much time as I do working alone everyday with her thoughts and her emotions are becoming strong, she feels more than alike she feels like it will never happen

I know it won't be easy and maybe what I want to do is not possible but if we both understand that things take time and that it could be sooner or later since we can't control the economy or the housing market or even my direct income at the moment

I feel like I have pulled her along even if I communicate everything in real time I don't really have anyone else to talk to so I need to know if anyone has been in my situation and has advice

We were considering renting my home but I do not have extra money and I heard I not only have to have it inspected every two years but unless I can hire a maintenance man I will have to do something in regards to helping my tenant so I can't just move and rent my house out and tell someone to figure it out or I risk losing this asset that I worked for a very long time to secure and I wanted to take the money and move to be with her and start over in a new place with a new job and everything

I know it's not fair to tell someone it can happen when it can but I feel like in the 16 years I have been trying to take care of myself nothing has gone right and it's always me justifying my pain and obstacles as either preparation or justifiable if I reach happiness in the end

I'm not sure what to do I fear I will lose the only person I have had a legitimate connection with because I'm unable the be there for them in a meaningful capacity (visiting once every 3-4 months is leaving her with a great deal of pain when we have to say see you next time...I don't want her to be in pain)

Posted Mar 6, 2026, 5:43 PM UTC

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