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Old 04-07-2008, 09:50 PM
 
Location: Tennessee
37,758 posts, read 40,852,602 times
Reputation: 62051

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Quote:
Originally Posted by UW Badgers View Post
We bought our first home 3 years ago(small 2 bedroom). The only plus is that we are by ourselves. We can watch tv and play music as loud as we want and don't have that apartment living situation with noisy neighbors.

Hate the yard work. We had a horrible winter this year, the worst since we moved here 4 years ago. We couldn't figure out why it bothered us so much. After much thinking it was because we were the ones getting up at 6am every other day to shovel the snow. When we didn't have to worry about that, winter never bothered us. Cutting the grass when it's 95 out sucks too. We have no trees in our yard, but thanks to everyone else, we find ourselves cleaning leaves all.the.time. Keeping up the landscape sucks. We have grass to replace this year. Watering the lawn costs a boat load, so then what, let it die? Thankfully the inside hasn't had any issues. Everything is pretty new between the last homeowner and us. We did have to replace 5 windows when we moved in, that wasn't cheap. We also got a new AC unit, since the old one was from 1966. That was costly too. I sometimes think owning a home is over rated, especially in this market. We won't ever make money on this thing unless we are here the whole 30 years, which isn't going to happen.

When the time comes to move, it will be back to renting. Either that or I win the lottery so I can hire people to do all the work..LOL
When I was working, I didn't want to spend one of my days off working on the outside of the house. I didn't want to spend my money buying the equipment/tools or hiring someone else to do it so I could enjoy it one or two days per week. Now that I'm retired, I think if I knelt down in a garden, I wouldn't be able to get back up because of my knees. I know I couldn't climb a ladder. I live in an outdoorsy area (mountains, lakes, streams, woods) and with 4 State Parks nearby so I don't have to go far to enjoy being outdoors. If I lived in a citified or crowded suburban area, I'd miss a backyard.

I don't even have to change the light bulbs in my ceiling lights. The handyman for the complex does it. That's good because climbing up on a chair is not something I can easily do. I am single now and have no kids so there's no one to rely on to do these things. Renting in a complex just makes it easier. But having no kids also means the pressure is off for me to leave something to somebody after I'm gone. I have a decent pension and money put away for an emergency. I don't need to rely on selling a house to live. I know that I'm lucky that way.
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Old 04-13-2008, 12:15 AM
 
Location: Chaos Central
1,122 posts, read 4,099,030 times
Reputation: 902
Quote:
Originally Posted by Simple Living View Post
I've never understood why renting has such a "bad reputation."
I've owned more than rented. Here's why I don't like renting

1. No privacy
- I've lived in townhouses where I can hear the neighbors' whistling, talking, singing, arguing through the walls. Kids screaming. Loud music. Loud TVs. Loud parties. Construction. Patio lights left on all night glaring into my space.
- I've lived in owner occupied places where the landlord is constantly knocking on the door to ask this or that, wanting to get into the place to look at this or that, offering tenants the use of certain space when you move in, then afterward reclaiming it for their own use or their friends or relatives, etc. Even had one landlord climb up a ladder to my upper floor apartment once and "break in" through an open window when he thought I wasn't home. I was. He found out that was a very, very, bad move on his part.

2. No control over necessary maintenance
I've had water damage due to roof leaks from an obviously decayed roof. Been stuck in a driveway because the snowplow guy never showed up. Fought with permanently clogged kitchen drains. Toilets that wouldn't flush properly. Shower stalls that would flood unless you were very, very quick. All manner of appliances and carpeting and fixtures that needed replacement.

3. No equity in renting
Yep, the housing crisis really stinks right now, and has stunk in the past too. But if you use your head and buy at the financially responsible time, and for the right reasons, it is possible to own a home which will gain in value and give you a reasonable return if it becomes necessary to sell in future. I sold a house last year and now have the proceeds in an interest-bearing account, where it will safely remain until the time is right to buy again. Had I been a renter instead of an owner for the past 10 years, I'd have nothing for a downpayment on another house right now -- when I bought the house, it was actually cheaper to buy an inexpensive house than to rent.

4. There are other benefits to owning. When I buy a house I choose it for the following reasons:
Privacy - nobody's sharing a wall with me. Nobody's stamping their feet over my head, or blaring music from the floor below. Nobody's demanding to get into my space to look at this or that.
Outdoor space - I can have a large or extremely large private yard and I can do anything I want in it: cook out, sit out, pitch a tent, have a party, whatever.
Maintenance - yeah, I have to pay for it, but it's done and done right. I can install whatever I want, rip out whatever I want, change whatever I want, and nobody can give me the least grief about it I can pound nails into the wall with wild abandon (but I don't.....) I can get out of my driveway whenever I want in the winter because it's plowed when it should be. I can park wherever I want and nobody else is ever in my space.
Relatively fixed costs: I only take fixed mortgages. I choose towns with low tax rates and am conservative with utilities, plus proper maintenance reduces heating and cooling costs.

For me, living hassle free is owning. Right now I'm renting while in-between houses, and I am not a happy camper. Looking forward to finding and buying a "new" house!
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Old 04-14-2008, 02:54 PM
 
Location: Bradenton, Florida
27,232 posts, read 46,553,169 times
Reputation: 11082
Quote:
Originally Posted by Boomerang View Post
I've owned more than rented. Here's why I don't like renting


2. No control over necessary maintenance
I've had water damage due to roof leaks from an obviously decayed roof. Been stuck in a driveway because the snowplow guy never showed up. Fought with permanently clogged kitchen drains. Toilets that wouldn't flush properly. Shower stalls that would flood unless you were very, very quick. All manner of appliances and carpeting and fixtures that needed replacement.
I do necessary maintenance anyway, pay for it out of my own pocket.

If I live there, it's "my" house, and I'm not going to let "my" house look like a dump, even if I have a slumlord to give rent to.
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Old 04-15-2008, 07:07 AM
 
61 posts, read 489,950 times
Reputation: 60
I hate inspections! I've had in this last year and counting two maintenance requests and other inspections, been bothered probably six times. It is crazy! I also don't like others snooping into my business. They are checking up on you, not just your apartment when they come in. The maintenance guy came in once when he wasn't supposed to, we had an appointment later that day, anyway I found him in there working when I came home. I had left my bank statement lying on the desk, very visible. I may have had some money laying there too. This is enough of an issue for me to want to buy my own small home, just so I have more control, even if that means repairing things myself.

I also had an apartment manager stalking me at one place I lived at. He looked in my personal files and got my unlisted phone number and called me after he got fired and his wife was out of town! Once I knew he did this and he stole from the office too, I had them replace my door locks. For all I know he could have been in my apartment doing all sorts of stuff or possibly filming me with hidden cameras for all I know. I don't like renting for those reasons.
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Old 04-15-2008, 11:28 PM
 
Location: Maryland's 6th District.
8,358 posts, read 25,178,746 times
Reputation: 6540
Quote:
Originally Posted by nillawafer View Post
For all I know he could have been in my apartment doing all sorts of stuff or possibly filming me with hidden cameras for all I know. I don't like renting for those reasons.
Uh yeah, and should probably toss out your toothbrush as well.....
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Old 04-16-2008, 03:50 AM
 
61 posts, read 489,950 times
Reputation: 60
K-Luv,

This was years ago and well I didn't and gross!
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Old 06-09-2008, 01:50 PM
 
2,638 posts, read 6,004,996 times
Reputation: 2378
Somewhat old thread...but I figured I would throw in a few pennies for thought.

Renting is cool...IF:

1: You love all those fancy amenities and don't mind sharing them with other, quite possibly filthy/germy, others;
2: You're a people person and love to talk to people and interact;
3: You don't mind hearing all sorts of noises from below, above, or beside you, not counting external noises...some noises of course make you think there's a porno shoot going on under you; and
4: You have no problem dealing with major restrictions about what you can and cannot do with the place (i.e. wash your car).

The fact is, whether renting sucks or not really depends on the city and state. In San Diego, for example, it's almost pointless to rent. 4S Ranch, which offers townhomes of quite nice quality, charges nearly $2700 a month rent, PLUS pet rent, PLUS pet deposit, PLUS people deposit, PLUS utilities. In return, you get two stories, a garage, and all sorts of amenities. Would I go for it? Absolutely not. In my opinion, a multifamily rental unit should never exceed a monthly mortgage for a comparable or better house. I can get a 4 bedroom 2 bath monster in Temecula for roughly $1350/month.

All said, I am in the process of buying, and I already acknowledge the extra expenses that come along with, but the tradeoff makes it worth while.

1: It's cheaper than renting something of comparable quality here.
2: I can wash my car when I please.
3: I can do my own car repair when I please.
4: I can customize the house how I see fit, including appliances that I know are good quality (every apartment I've rented has used nice looking but substandard kitchen appliances).
5: No shared walls = no listening in on porno shoots/little kids trampling/big dogs barking/etc etc. PLus I can always soundproof my home so I hear nearly nothing.
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Old 06-09-2008, 02:44 PM
 
Location: Denver
9,963 posts, read 18,449,541 times
Reputation: 6181
I love owning a house from an investment POV vs Renting (I have definitely had good luck with buying and selling money wise).

However, it does get tiring when the house consumes your life and you go to Home Depot 2-3 times a week.

Renting frees a lot of your life up and that can be a real ROI!
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Old 06-10-2008, 02:13 PM
 
Location: Buffalo, NY
11 posts, read 56,017 times
Reputation: 13
LOL Mach50, when I first moved into my present house in Dec. 2004 I was going to Home Depot every day for about 3 weeks! They were closed on Christmas, so I didn't go that day.
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Old 06-16-2008, 05:06 PM
 
3,852 posts, read 12,841,431 times
Reputation: 2529
I've also come to the same conclusion recently. I've been a home buying advocate for the longest time but recently I've changed my mind. Why? Because of gas prices. When you rent you can relocate close to your work site, hence saving you time and money. If you lose your job or get a new job simply relocate closer to your new work site. When you own, you can't do that. You have to only look for jobs that are xyz miles from your home.
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