I used to live in an apartment then decided to buy a house for reasons such as wanting to have a yard / outdoor space (wanted to buy a big dog among others), leave city life for suburban life for peace & quiet, family-proof (place where I’d want hypothetical kids to grow up in), etc. After experiencing both I prefer house over apartment.
Have you considered full time RV living as a step towards the houseboat? Small used RVs are cheaper than most cars, in some places.
I have! I’m thinking this should be my first step once I finish grad school and get something resembling a stable income. It’ll also force me to downsize my stuff. I’m a serial hobbyist and have… entirely too much stuff for any kind of compact living arrangement lol