Should I Buy a Home Or Not?
July 30, 2008
It is not a matter of flipping a coin when deciding whether to buy or rent a home. There are a lot of things to think about. Make sure you compare your income against the local market when you make your housing decision.
Even if you are considering buying a dream home, you can always ask if you have the option to rent until a later time. Financing is what determines whether you can afford to buy or rent. What are some of the expenses when owning a home, as opposed to renting? In a nutshell, this always will be the main determining factor between the two.
There are several optional points when considering buying a house. Buying a house will put you into a more permanent community, than a rented complex. This essentially means that you are a part of the larger consciousness. Communities are collectives.
It isn’t easy living up to such a high standard of owning a home, especially in a neighborhood full of other people who own homes as well. It is assumed that you will maintain your yard according to neighborhood standards by keeping the lawn mowed and the landscaping freshly cut and sculpted. In your new house, you won’t have to abide by anyone else’s rules. Your neighbors will expect you to follow the community rules. In other words, you will either have to maintain things on your own, or have to pay someone to contract it for you.
In this situation, you are free to make your own choices about gardening and landscaping. Your personal preferences are preferred and encouraged. In the neighborhood gallery, you are free to be an artist. As long as you are not an abstract artist that loves to copy Jackson Pollack’s masterpieces, you are safe. When owning a home, you will be required to do your best to make your home fit in to the surrounding neighborhood.
With a rental, you do not have to be concerned about outside appearances of your abode. This is all taken care of for you. In fact, you probably do not have a choice in this matter. Often times, you do not have a choice of the inside colors of your rooms either. These decisions are not in your hands. You are renting. The management company, or owner has made these decisions for you.
You will be required to pay both the first and last month’s rent as a deposit to guarantee your home. In most cases, you sign a lease to stay for a determined amount of time, move in and leave the rest to the owners. By the rules of the agreed lease, they will have to provide you with maintenance. The company or landlord will take care of all repairs on the garbage disposal or the toilet if you are a home or apartment renter.
When you own a home and something breaks down, it is up to you to get it fixed and pay for the parts and service. Renting a home will take a lot of responsibility for the upkeep out of your hands. Owning a home places these responsibilities directly on the homeowner.
However, home owners do feel more stable. The home is yours. You invest the effort and you get the return for your investment. If you are lucky enough to own a home then you should have a good feeling of having something that belongs to you. Your domain is truly your own. With renting, this feeling and security is at best a temporary fix, a band-aid on a temporary situation that, ultimately, you have no real control over. The rent can go up, then you have to pay it, or move out. You can also become evicted. When you are renting, you don’t have a say in these decisions.
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