rent 4ever or buy a house and move FAR away? (Arlington: apartment, buying)

[alcidesvigo99]

we live in N arlington and LOVE the schools, but as our family gets bigger we wonder if we should just keep renting(for many years) or if we should buy a house and move to another place(a cheaper place).
do children need a house or an apartment would do?
what do you think about arlington schools?

[Alanboy395]

i do think North Arlington schools are excellent, but i think home ownership is very important. if you are renting, you are just having thousands of $ go towards nothing as if you are buying your $ is going into a major asset. Personally, i survived an apartment for a while b/c there was a safe park nearby but i was an only child. If you have more than 5 folks living in a 3 br apt there will be a lot of problems with space. so my advice is to consider moving but try to find an area like PA or NC that has the good schools but a reasonable standard of living.