house or apartment ?

Question

Compare owning a house to apartment rental. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each ? How does an individual's housing needs change over a life time ? Please be specific. Thank you so much for you help !

Answer 1

Renting sucks because you pay alot of money in rent and get nothing out of it when you move out. When owning a home you have equity in that home not to mention its YOURS, you can sell and most likely make a profit from it.

Answer 2

Well, I am in the same boat as you.

My boyfriend of 4 years and I are looking into buying a house.

We have the money, we have the credit, but its just the fact that buying a house is a lot of responsibility.

Advantages of buying a home-
Its YOURS
your NOT throwing away your money every month paying rent on an apartment
You can remodel, paint, anything you want (its yours)
NO pet deposits. (lol)
Your own space
Larger space
You don't have to worry about stupid neighbors upstairs and hearing them F &hearts &hearts k (yup)


Disadvantages of buying a home-
If it breaks, you can't call your front office guy to fix it for free.
Bills WILL be higher ( a larger area to heat up in winter or cool off in summer)
More area to keep clean
Upkeep

Advantages of renting
Lower rent (sometimes)
If your dishwasher breaks, you just call the front office to fix it free.
No BIG lawn to keep up looking nice
Some people just enjoy having a smaller area that they enjoy and they end up loving the apartment living life. ( I really enjoy just having a small (1200square foot 2 bed/2 bath apartment).

Disadvantages of renting-
Your pay every month for something that will NEVER be yours. (usually for the same price or around the same price as a house) -
Deposits
Small space ( if you have a lot of stuff, this could be a disadvantage.)

It all depends on where you are at in life, buying a house means you are going to be there a few years or more. My rent is 800 a month, would you rather pay 1000 or 1100 a month for a really nice home.
Remember its your house, your stuff, your life.
Im only 20 years old, so I am still debating on buying a home.

Answer 3

Allot of it depends on your individual situation. Are you ready to put down roots in one area, or is there the possibility that you like to move from place to place. Most will say owning is better and there is allot to be said for that. Most say the tax writeoff, but if you are in a lower end house at a low interest many times it is cheaper to take the nominal deduction in other words the interest deduction does not help. If you are good at DIY projects then you can save a fortune on repairs to the house, if you are not, and on a tight budget then your house could fall in disrepair reducing its value, where as in an apartment you pay the rent, landlord is responsible for the repairs. As you get older and the kids move out (they never totally do) do you still need that 4 bedroom 2 bath house for your spouse and you, highly doubtful. Again it is a highly personal decision, that one way or another is only right by the situation that you find yourself in, in other words what is personally better for you.

Answer 4

the price of apartment rentals are going thru the roof...you can pay around $1000 for a middle class town like mine.and not get an especially nice place..and the neighbors are rentors have no respect for the property..but with a house I bought one that needed some work...30 year old carpet....new floors and paint...lots of updated paint and I pay $600 a month and have the pride of ownership. My neighbors are homeowners also and are not going to hurt my property values or damage my property. When you move from an apartment you have nothing to show for it...when you move from a house you should at least the difference between the increase in the property value and the amount you have been paying towards your mortgage.

Your individual housing needs may change if you get married and have children...you need more room...or have an accident like I did and not want to do alot of stairs..I bought a house with 5 stairs in it...except to the basement where I dont go except to do laundry every 2 weeks...I bought to accommodate that I may have arthritis in a few years and those stairs will get steeper and steeper.

Answer 5

It is not a simple answer. It depends on the terms and the dollar amounts involved. Please, please, please do not listen to the people who say that you should buy a house because "renting is throwing money away" or because of the tax deduction. Those are nonsensical arguments.

- A bad mortgage or buying a house that is too expensive for your means or overvalued can turn you upside-down
- Paying interest just to get a tax deduction makes zero sense at all
- Think how long you plan on living there and having to pay that mortgage every month. Renting gives you flexibility. In this market, you can't expect thew house to appreciate much (or maybe even at all) and it may take a long time to sell the house.
- Don't just factor in the payment on principal, think also about taxes and mortgage insurance (if you don't have 20% down payment).
- Find a mortgage broker or lender who you can trust and who can explain to you the numerous types of mortgages out there. Getting the house is one thing, getting the right mortgage is another.

start with these articles...

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Banking/HomebuyingGuide/3BadReasonsToBuyAHome.aspx

http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/article/102603/why-your-home-is-not-the-investment-you-think-it-is

Answer 6

now days with the prices of apartments u r better off buying a house. disadvantage of owning a house is bills are higher and u have mortgage payments and had to pay for your own adjustments, disadvantage of owning an apt.....u cant call it yours and if u have a slumlord, nothing will get fixed and they are small....if u want to start a family, apts. usually are not big enough. pluses of a house are its yours and its not going anywhwere and u can do whatever u want. pluses of an apt. are bills are a lil less, but really not much more these days. i lived in an apt. for about 3 yrs. and my landlord was a slumlord. i just bought a house 6 months ago and wish i had done it sooner...so much nicer!

Answer 7

HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE,
1) tax break for owning a house. Renting you don't get anything.
2) a house will go up in value making you money. Renting will only increase per year losing you money.
3)Houses you don't have to hear, you neighbor. Apartment you hear smell and feel the person next to you weather you like it or not.
4)Customize your home forever. Customize an apartment you get a fine when you move out.
5) resell your home for $50,000 profit. Move out of and apartment you get nothing.
And that's just off the top of my head. Get a house.

Answer 8

i think apartments work really well if you are unsure of how long you will be located somewhere since at some point you're lease is up and you don't need to worry about selling your home.

apartments you normaly don't do maintence or mow the lawn or what not, owning a house you do EVERYTHING on your own.

sometimes house payments can be cheaper then rent. and over all buying a house you pretty much pay one amount were as an aparment you pay for as long as you live there.

Answer 9

Apartment:
- generally less expensive per month
- you don't have to pay to fix the appliances that came with the apartment
- renter's insurance is usually only $100 or so
- don't have to mow your own lawn (for some people that's a plus)
- smaller than a house/less to clean
- fewer windows
- closer/noisier neighbors
- you're limited to what changes you can make to the apartment (painting, etc)
- many landlords don't allow pets or have restrictions on them
- easy to move in and out

House:
- generally more expensive
- you have to get your own appliances fixed
- a house usually comes with fewer appliances than an apartment
- if you want to insure, it will probably cost more
- more privacy
- more windows and more space
- value appreciates over time, so houses are considered an investment (you can sell it for more than you bought it)
- you can paint it, add on to it, and make whatever changes you like
- if you want to move out, you have to sell it first, which is a hassle

In general, it's good to start out in an apartment if you're young, busy all the time, and don't need a lot of space. As you start a family, it's a good time to get your finances in order and buy a house. A house will require more maintenance, and when something needs to get fixed you can't just call the landlord anymore, you have to get it done yourself. A house is nice for people who like their space and who like having a yard - most houses come with yards anyway. As your kids grow older and move out, you don't need as big of a house anymore. Some couples move to a smaller one-story house (old people don't like to climb stairs), and others just convert the extra rooms to suit their hobbies.

Answer 10

If you can buy a good house, that would be better. Many times rent is the same amount as mortgage, except with a house you have something to show for it. Plus, as a homeowner you'll have better credit (if you pay your mortgage regularly) and many times you will receive a tax refund if you are a homeowner because interest on your mortgage is tax deductible.