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Old 08-23-2016, 05:21 PM
 
Location: Riverside Ca
22,146 posts, read 33,537,436 times
Reputation: 35437

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Quote:
Originally Posted by jm1982 View Post
One thing that isn't spoken about often is that not everyone wants to own a home even if they can afford one.
Even in the most affordable cities in America you still have people that choose to rent even if they can afford a monthly mortgage payment for whatever reasons.


Exactly. Not everyone wants to be a homeowner.
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Old 08-23-2016, 05:33 PM
 
Location: Sherman Oaks, CA
6,588 posts, read 17,550,899 times
Reputation: 9463
I'm another one who doesn't want to own a home. I like being able to call the manager when something happens, and I like being able to pick up and move if I need to. Of course, the down side is that my rent is increasing faster each year than my income is, and it cuts into my ability to support the local economy by going to restaurants, etc.
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Old 08-23-2016, 08:07 PM
 
8,276 posts, read 11,917,264 times
Reputation: 10080
Quote:
Originally Posted by LamarOdomsDealer View Post
I'm one of those people lol. Whenever I get renting advice and stuff like that on forums, people always respond to me like I'm a sucker for renting when I could be a home owner.

This is the reality for me-

I'm a single person and based on my savings and with what I feel comfortable leaving as a deposit, there are very few homes that I could afford. What I could afford are often in areas I wouldn't want to live in and/or the property is a mess. To get the property I would like, I would essentially have to empty out most of my savings for a down payment. Even then I could only afford a condo which isn't something I really would want. I don't want to live beyond my means especially since I have no one to financially support me should things happen like I lose my job or get my hours reduced. I also am someone who will move around for work so while I may live in San Diego for 3 years, I may end up back in LA or something when leaving San Diego. I'm right now living in a very nice apartment complex. Sure I'm not getting equity from it but I have a comfortable place to live in a nice area. I'm now getting ready to rent a place less than a block from the beach. Couldn't afford to live in either neighborhood as a home owner right now. I'm sick of people saying I'm foolish for not buying. It's just not worth it to me to perhaps make a profit but only if I live in a dump, not the ideal neighborhood for me, and/or give up a significant amount of my savings.

So the people you know who could afford to own but choose to rent may have their own reasons other than profit, profit, profit.
No need to "apologize" at all--renting makes perfect sense for you, and many others. Some homeowners forget that they'll wind up paying much more than the initial "sticker" price, the cost of repairs ( new roof, etc), mortgage insurance for some, no guarantee of selling for profit, needing to sell in a hurry for job relocation, loss of life savings for down payment, etc . You can be financially successful without being a homeowner.
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Old 08-23-2016, 08:46 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles (Native)
25,303 posts, read 21,458,447 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MassVt View Post
No need to "apologize" at all--renting makes perfect sense for you, and many others. Some homeowners forget that they'll wind up paying much more than the initial "sticker" price, the cost of repairs ( new roof, etc), mortgage insurance for some, no guarantee of selling for profit, needing to sell in a hurry for job relocation, loss of life savings for down payment, etc . You can be financially successful without being a homeowner.
True but average net worth of homeowners is a lot higher , doesn't mean all homeowners of course but still .

Homeowner

Many people refer to a mortgage as a " forced " savings plan and over long periods of time housing tends to go up , especially true in L.A at least historically .

Anybody that bought property in LA decades ago and still owns it is unlikely to have regretted the purchase .
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Old 08-23-2016, 09:00 PM
 
Location: Where the sun always shines
2,170 posts, read 3,307,351 times
Reputation: 4501
Quote:
Originally Posted by LamarOdomsDealer View Post
I'm one of those people lol. Whenever I get renting advice and stuff like that on forums, people always respond to me like I'm a sucker for renting when I could be a home owner.

This is the reality for me-

I'm a single person and based on my savings and with what I feel comfortable leaving as a deposit, there are very few homes that I could afford. What I could afford are often in areas I wouldn't want to live in and/or the property is a mess. To get the property I would like, I would essentially have to empty out most of my savings for a down payment. Even then I could only afford a condo which isn't something I really would want. I don't want to live beyond my means especially since I have no one to financially support me should things happen like I lose my job or get my hours reduced. I also am someone who will move around for work so while I may live in San Diego for 3 years, I may end up back in LA or something when leaving San Diego. I'm right now living in a very nice apartment complex. Sure I'm not getting equity from it but I have a comfortable place to live in a nice area. I'm now getting ready to rent a place less than a block from the beach. Couldn't afford to live in either neighborhood as a home owner right now. I'm sick of people saying I'm foolish for not buying. It's just not worth it to me to perhaps make a profit but only if I live in a dump, not the ideal neighborhood for me, and/or give up a significant amount of my savings.

So the people you know who could afford to own but choose to rent may have their own reasons other than profit, profit, profit.

You're a sucker for renting

Actually, this is pretty much my own situation to a tee. The only difference is I prefer condo living as to living in a house. Did that for about 6 years while still living with my parents, tons of personal up keep. Right now, I rent out in an above average area in the southern part of the Valley where 2 bedroom homes start at about about 600K and the bigger ones can run a million plus. Could never afford it. I could buy elsewhere on my salary but I would be compromising on my QOL. Everybody has a different comfort level and makes their own sacrifice.
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Old 08-23-2016, 09:03 PM
 
Location: "Silicon Valley" (part of San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA)
4,375 posts, read 4,070,027 times
Reputation: 2158
It is good that most in LA are renters. It means that it is a desirable city. The same situation exists in other desirable cities, such as London:

https://medium.com/citizen-of-the-wo...ac5#.ok1lejtg6

I wouldn't want a single family home, either. I'm single and will be for the rest of my life. Sadly, I will probably never have a girlfriend (I do want one) and I will never raise kids. So there really is no logical reason for me to buy a SFH. In a way, my depressing love life is good because it is saving me money, lol.

If I did have a wife and kids, though, I would want to get a two bedroom condo/apartment inside of a city -- a real City like San Jose or Los Angeles or London -- as opposed to moving to Body Odor, Arizona, in order to own a SFH.
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Old 08-23-2016, 09:21 PM
 
8,276 posts, read 11,917,264 times
Reputation: 10080
Quote:
Originally Posted by jm1982 View Post
True but average net worth of homeowners is a lot higher , doesn't mean all homeowners of course but still .

Homeowner

Many people refer to a mortgage as a " forced " savings plan and over long periods of time housing tends to go up , especially true in L.A at least historically .

Anybody that bought property in LA decades ago and still owns it is unlikely to have regretted the purchase .
True, but with the emphasis on "decades ago"; a more modern-day buyer can have a crushing amount of debt to pay off..

In a perfect world, or a perfect economy, the homeowner would have the advantage, but with the uncertainty of today's job market, when entire industries are at risk, the renter has some good cards to play, too..
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Old 08-23-2016, 11:09 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles (Native)
25,303 posts, read 21,458,447 times
Reputation: 12318
Quote:
Originally Posted by MassVt View Post
True, but with the emphasis on "decades ago"; a more modern-day buyer can have a crushing amount of debt to pay off..

In a perfect world, or a perfect economy, the homeowner would have the advantage, but with the uncertainty of today's job market, when entire industries are at risk, the renter has some good cards to play, too..
This is also one good reason to buy where or when the fundamentals make sense.

If you buy a place where you know you can rent it out to break even or even make a profit then at least if you have to move you have another option versus just selling quick for a 'firesale' price.

Renting the place out on Airbnb short term could also be another option if you have family or friends or a trustworthy manager.
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Old 09-01-2016, 04:49 AM
 
Location: Riverside Ca
22,146 posts, read 33,537,436 times
Reputation: 35437
Quote:
Originally Posted by jm1982 View Post
One thing that isn't spoken about often is that not everyone wants to own a home even if they can afford one.
Even in the most affordable cities in America you still have people that choose to rent even if they can afford a monthly mortgage payment for whatever reasons.

Another thing I wanted to add is even if some want to buy they are unable to simply from the large amount of money they need to come up with to buy.

And some renters are actually smart and invest their gains, like the flexibility renting offers. There is no set this is the only way to make money. I wouldn't rent because for me it restricts my wants, and I prefer to own than rent. This doesn't make my way better. It's different.




Quote:
Originally Posted by FirebirdCamaro1220 View Post
Common man, you act like when you cross from Cerritos into Cypress, that you've gone into a different country or something
You're right. There isn't much difference visually between those communities. But there is a difference in things that aren't tangible. Orange County should just be called south Los Angeles County. But it isn't. It's Orange County. It has its own government/representatives, tax system/rates and rules. I'm not saying it's a different country. But it is its own county. I'm sure LA would love to grab OC in their claws simply for the tax revenue alone.
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Old 09-01-2016, 08:48 AM
 
Location: Los Angeles (Native)
25,303 posts, read 21,458,447 times
Reputation: 12318
True some renters do invest the money they would of put towards a down payment etc

One good example of a famous and wealthy person that rented was Mark Zuckerberg he was CEO of a company with a huge value but still rented . I'm sure he could of bought if he wanted to .

Now of course he owns multiple homes in multiple locations .

He bought a bunch of houses near him to twart some developers plan
Mark Zuckerberg buys four houses near his Palo Alto home - Mercury News

You are right that everyone's situation is different , some like the flexibility and sometimes lower cost of renting , while others couldn't imagine living in someone else's property or having a landlord .

Lots of people especially nowadays seem to move around more .
Although it's possible and could be advantageous to do that while buying .
If you live in a house for two years you don't pay capital gains tax on the sale up to 250k for single person and 500k for married couple .

Some people do this strategically , find fixer homes and live in them for 2 years , sell and repeat .
Of course there are market cycles and we know not everything goes up up up always .

Last edited by jm1982; 09-01-2016 at 09:01 AM..
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