Is it better for bachelors to rent or buy a house?

[RickyBobby83]

Just wondering what you guys think. What are the pros and cons?


- Renting seems to be cheaper, there is less maintenance, and it is easier to move.

- Buying is more expensive but at least you are your own landlord.


What do women think is better?

I recently had a break up with my live in girlfriend (she left me). We dated for 2 years and she lived in my house for the last year. I'm 31 and she is 28. At first she was impressed that I owned my house but over time she became resentful because she didn't like the area (suburbs), the house was too small (2 bedroom/1 bathroom), she felt it wasn't her house because she couldn't decorate, and there was no room for her bed (she kept that at her fathers).

My mortgage/property tax/heat/internet is $1650/month. She paid me $250/month. I felt I was giving her a good deal because she would pay more if she was renting somewhere else. I started to get resentful because she wasn't interested in getting married or buying a house together and I bought most of the groceries. She makes slightly more money than me but often said she didn't want to "pay my mortgage". Her parents are divorced and her mother kept telling her she should buy her own condo.

Anyone have any advice?

 

[MtnMan]

I'm in a similar situation. Except i live in the hills, an hour from the 'city'. I probably wouldn't buy a house like this as a single dude, but since I already have it, I'm keeping it.

If you like your place, keep it and let the women who don't like it filter themselves out. When I was first single I was embarrassed of my place, then I came to realize how awesome it was and when I invited girls over and they loved it, then it was a good test of the kind of chick i was dealing with.

Do whatever you want, don't do it for women. There are girls who will think its awesome you have your own place and girls who think its stupid and boring.

 

[Desdinova]

It really depends on what you want.

Home ownership is the better deal because you eventually own it, and the value is most likely to go up. My parents' house is worth $100k more than when they bought it. That's pretty easy money to make.

However, owning a home does come with it's burdens such as yard work and maintenance. However, you can do whatever you want with it because it's YOURS. You can add onto it, tear things down, cover the yard in concrete, install a hot tub, and you're not limited by your creativity.

If you're someone who's practically never home due to work or an extremely busy social life, then owning a home is probably not for you.

 

[Colossus]

It depends on the market, the property, your station in life, and many other factors.

One is not categorically better than the other, but both have their advantages and disadvantages. The obvious advantage with renting is that you don't have to maintain the property and your commitment is limited to 12 months. The disadvantage is that you are not building any equity, and rent prices continue to increase every single year without a commensurate increase in wages.

Owning has the advantage of (potentially) building equity, a fixed payment for the life of the loan, and the flexibility of doing whatever you want with your own property. However, I know guys who are in "mortgage prison" jut as I know guys who are in "renter's prison". You may not be able to sell your house when you need to. You may lose money when you do. You may have a massive repair that drains your savings.

All things to consider.

 

[Bible_Belt]

18.8% of homeowners were underwater during the first quarter of 2014

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erincar...cans-still-have-underwater-homes-zillow-says/

 

[apprenticedj]

And as mentioned hidden costs can always come up, and these risks increase the older the home is.

THIS^. I have an older home and it's been nickel and diming me to death recently. I mean, I love the house, it's cool and stylish but plumbing and electrical are two wicked c*nts to fight with.

Right now I'm trying to fix the place up into a retro stylish bachelor pad, once I finish it will be awesome.

I think women mostly care that you have, whether owning or renting, your own place. Owning probably will be more impressive because it makes you seem more established but it may attract opportunistic huzzies.

Pros and cons to both.

 

[MOTU]

What do women think is better?

Dude that's completely the wrong question.

What women think is "better" is a decisive man who has goals in his life and is busy achieving them.

So the better question is: "what do I want to accomplish in my life in both the short and long term, and what implications does that have on where I live and whether I rent or own it?".

 

[MtnMan]

MOTU is on the money here. If you decide to keep your house, just own the fact that you own a house. Be sure of yourself, and the women won't question it.
I had trouble grasping this fact, but it has made a big difference for me.

 

[The Duke]

Just wondering what you guys think. What are the pros and cons?


- Renting seems to be cheaper, there is less maintenance, and it is easier to move.

- Buying is more expensive but at least you are your own landlord.


What do women think is better?

I recently had a break up with my live in girlfriend (she left me). We dated for 2 years and she lived in my house for the last year. I'm 31 and she is 28. At first she was impressed that I owned my house but over time she became resentful because she didn't like the area (suburbs), the house was too small (2 bedroom/1 bathroom), she felt it wasn't her house because she couldn't decorate, and there was no room for her bed (she kept that at her fathers).

My mortgage/property tax/heat/internet is $1650/month. She paid me $250/month. I felt I was giving her a good deal because she would pay more if she was renting somewhere else. I started to get resentful because she wasn't interested in getting married or buying a house together and I bought most of the groceries. She makes slightly more money than me but often said she didn't want to "pay my mortgage". Her parents are divorced and her mother kept telling her she should buy her own condo.

Anyone have any advice?

Sounds like a typical woman, has a super smoking deal going. Takes advantage of the situation. Starts complaining. Later decides it isn't good enough. Like that biatch could have lived anywhere else for less than 3 times what she was paying you.

It doesn't matter what women think. If you are stable and plan on staying at least 5yrs then a house is typically the smarter choice $$$-wise. Why make someone elses mortgage payment??? Yep as you know home ownership comes with some responsibility and upkeep.

 

[Vulpine]

A little piece of land with a tent on it will make YOU rich, not someone else.

If you volunteer for "renter's prison", then you'll have a b¡tch of a time breaking out.

I wish I had known this when I could still live with mommy/daddy. I would have rode that gravy train all the way to buying a piece of land outright - no mortgage!

Freedom from my parents and privacy would have certainly been motivation to have three jobs and not be at home much.

Crank up that broad's rent, or boot her and get one that will pay full price (half).

 

[MtnMan]

Sounds like a typical woman, has a super smoking deal going. Takes advantage of the situation. Starts complaining. Later decides it isn't good enough. Like that biatch could have lived anywhere else for less than 3 times what she was paying you.

It doesn't matter what women think. If you are stable and plan on staying at least 5yrs then a house is typically the smarter choice $$$-wise. Why make someone elses mortgage payment??? Yep as you know home ownership comes with some responsibility and upkeep.

this really strikes a nerve for me. My ex lived in my house, paid me 440 every month out of the 1800 mortgage. She kept her horse on my land and did little to help me maintain the house or property, and she was never happy with it. Makes my blood pressure increase just thinking about it.

 

[Desdinova]

I wish I had known this when I could still live with mommy/daddy. I would have rode that gravy train all the way to buying a piece of land outright - no mortgage!

I really wish I could say the same thing for myself, but the fact was my home life was fvcking terrible. One parent was pushing me to stay in a religious cult, and the other was bytching at me for sleeping over at my gf's place and (finally) getting laid. So I moved in with my gf and her dad.

The religious cult did NOTHING for my experience with women, mainly because the members weren't supposed to date until they were legally adults. I snuck out on a few dates behind my mother's back during my teen years, but it was always risky. I was sheltered from the real world by being protected inside the box of a religious cult, so once I was able to escape, it was time to play catch-up on much of my experience and development.

It also didn't help that my father was hounding me to stay at home and start my own business in a dying field, but he didn't know the first thing about starting a business. It was a doomed idea from the start, and I'm glad I never followed through with it.

So yeah, I was pretty fvcked with having no knowledge about anything useful. I had to go out into the world and learn it all myself.

...and I'm still learning.

 

[Albatross953]

I had a semi detached with an $80k mortgage and two roomates at $275 each. And my ex lived there for free. At least I got her rings back after the divorce. I still need to sell those...

 

[zekko]

It depends on the market, the property, your station in life, and many other factors.

One is not categorically better than the other, but both have their advantages and disadvantages. The obvious advantage with renting is that you don't have to maintain the property and your commitment is limited to 12 months. The disadvantage is that you are not building any equity, and rent prices continue to increase every single year without a commensurate increase in wages.

Owning has the advantage of (potentially) building equity, a fixed payment for the life of the loan, and the flexibility of doing whatever you want with your own property. However, I know guys who are in "mortgage prison" jut as I know guys who are in "renter's prison". You may not be able to sell your house when you need to. You may lose money when you do. You may have a massive repair that drains your savings.

As usual, I agree with Colossus. It depends on the situation. Where I live, the housing market is not good. I've seen houses sit on sale for years and not get an offer. If you own, you have to pay property taxes, and house insurance, both of which can be expensive. It can also cost a lot to maintain the house. The hot water heater goes out, you have to replace it. You might need a new roof. And like Colossus says, if you're stuck with the house and unable to sell it, then you're stuck.

On the other hand, renting means you don't have as much freedom with what you want to do with the place, although you have a lot more freedom to walk away. If you plan on leaving town in a few years, I would definitely rent. The bad part is you're pouring money down a hole for a service, basically, as opposed to buying something of value.

All that said, I would say women are more impressed if you own (at least if the place is nice). I wouldn't worry about that as a consideration however, lol.

 

[Tenacity]

Should you rent or buy? First off, I would never rent a house, if you are going to rent it should be an Apartment Complex as you usually will get a host of amenities including a poolhouse, fitness center, etc.

In regards to buying a house, the FIRST question you have to ask is do you plan on staying in the same area that you are for at least the next 15- 20 years if not forever? If the answer to that question is NO, then do not buy a house because you would be forced to sell and selling before 15-20 years usually always results in a loss. Not in all cases, but most of the time.

So let's say you will stay in the same area for the next 15-20 years, then I think if you QUALIFY for a mortgage you should consider buying a home that is within your budget, built relatively recently, with no major issues coming into the property, and one where the repairs/taxes/insurance/main. are reasonable and within your budget. In terms of "breaking even" on renting it would take probably 10-15 years before you break-even, then after that you should start to realize the gains from owning the property.

The property "might" appreciate but I wouldn't factor that into the reason for buying the house SOLELY. What you want is a property that will maintain it's value, which in that case also depends upon the surrounding properties within the neighborhood.

 

[Slickster]

If you are smart and buy the right house you will rarely be stuck trying to get rid of it.

I remember when I bought my first place it seemed like such a leap of faith. I was so unsure about the perceived long term commitment.

If you buy a place and want a change simply sell it.

It took me a little while to realize it but I would never rent again.

 

[backbreaker]

Rent.

I like the ability to up and move if / when i want more than i needed the ability to say I owned a house.
[
when i knew i found the right one, i bought a house.

 

[Tenacity]

I wouldn't rent forever though, that is, unless you are consistently moving from area to area for some reason (maybe employment related). If that's not the case, over the long haul as long as you BUY EFFICIENTLY, then owning has more cost advantages than renting.

 

[backbreaker]

it's more my personality than anything. i woke up one morning living in little rock and said i wanted to move to florida. 3 days later i was living in florida. woke up one day and said i wanted to go back home lol. the next night i was eating dinner in a rented townhouse in little rock. woke up 6 months later and said i wanted to move to SoCal. Moved to SoCal the next week. Got tired of San Diego, moved to LA.


with that said i bought a house quite a while ago. If I didn't own a house, honestly i would have moved to NYC by now. The only thing keeping me here is the hassle of selling it and i dont' want to move that bad.

 

[Cejay]

Lots of good advice in this thread.

Forget the woman part for a minute.

The rent vs buy debate is a hot one and it depends on a lot of factors. If you are going to stay put for many years you should buy a well priced house.

If you DO buy you should buy the house that is the closest to what you "want." (Paint and flooring are simple to change) If you buy to renovate and are paying people to do the work you could be in for a lot of headaches.

Know what is a serious reno and what isn't. I did a lot of renos with my buddies on eachothers houses and we had a lot of fun. Its nothing to lay flooring, drywall, build decks, finish a basement, roof, fence, etc. If you uncover it you may need to fix it. Keep that in mind. (Depends on building code)

I think that a woman will ALWAYS see home ownership as a plus. It goes to your ability to provide but they will probalby judge you on the house you have and the degree of judgement will vary on her age.

It sucks that there are lots of women who will fall in love with your pad, then a little later they want to start knocking out walls. This is a good test of what a woman is like if you ask me.

Remember that depending on how long you are paying back your mtg you may pay 1.5 the purchase amount. There are lots of hassles and unexpected costs of home ownership too, esp if you aren't handy.
If you do buy, take some classes or find some handy friends and learn.

I am divorced, did lots of renos in my spare time. I had fun doing it but I really enjoy the freedom right now.
I will eventually buy again, depending what country I settle on.

CJ.