Depends where you live. If you live in a liberal area this is probably more of an issue than it would be in other places.
That said, I'd never marry somebody without living with them first, I'm hardly alone in that, and if you're going to rent apartments to couples you can expect you'll have to deal with that a lot.
:sigh: Are you another one of those 'I gotta drive the car first to see if I like it?' types?
Well - it is the fully forcinating society, after all.
Sorry. But you sir are a cad and a part of the problem. We need to raise children (boys and girls) who plan to be virgins when they marry.
That's certainly a common sentiment. I've read some social science research from The Howard Center (Allan Carlson) and from the Family Research Council that indicate that living-together before marriage correlates to a greater likelihood of marriage break-up.
My impression is, both partners train themselves to "hold back," to resist the bonding and attachment that normally accompany physical intimacy. People who have trained themselves to do that, cannot readily un-train themselves when they want to wed. They come into marriage immunized to intimacy.
It's a problem: a common one. Something to think about.
Statistically, those who live together before marriage have a higher divorce rate than those who do not.
Biblically, it is wrong and there is no way to justify it.
Unfortunately, our society is much more interested in public opinion than in Biblical truth.
Let me guess, to see if you're compatible?