Renting Versus Buying

Rent or own? It is a question that faces a large majority of Americans and, at the moment, some may have their current mortgage note holder making that decision for them. However, no matter what one chooses, he can not escape some amount of work or building maintenance.

When is comes to building maintenance, some of the pros of renting are, of course, that renting requires less building maintenance than owning does. As a standard, renting places the major remodeling or large repair jobs on the shoulders of the property owner. This means that large jobs like roofing, foundational repair, structural soundness, electric, exterior building repair, plumbing, windows and doors, tree cutting and heating and cooling, depending on the region and leasing agreement, are the responsibility of the property owner. Also depending on the leasing agreement, interior painting, fencing, lawn care, and other smaller jobs may be the responsibility of the property owner.

The largest pro to renting is that when something fails or needs replacing, it is the financial responsibility of the property owner to fix and replace, not the tenant.

Property owners usually leave small jobs like replacing light bulbs and daily cleaning to the tenant. It is also important for the tenant, who lives in the property, to be aware and let the property owner know when something might need repair.

The cons of renting, when it comes to building maintenance are that property owners may have more than one property to manage and small repairs usually fall at the bottom of the priority list. Property owners usually give prompt attention to major damage or repair needs. Another con of renting is that the property owner will limit the degree of decorating or changes you can make to the property. Painting the walls a bold color is most likely not allowed, and one will certainly not be allowed to make structural changes to the building.

Owning has many pros and cons concerning building maintenance. The pros are that one has the freedom to do as they wish within his or her home, as long as that wish is up to par with State and local building code and he or she has the appropriate permits. Homeowners typically do not have neighbors on the other side of a common wall, as is more common with leasing properties. And there is something to be said about owning, or investing in your own plot of land and your own home. It is still part of the American dream.

Whereas renting is somewhat like having a safety net, owning places all the financial and laborious responsibility on the homeowner. If the air conditioning unit stops working, the homeowner can expect to pay more than a thousand dollars before he is enjoying cooled air again. Unexpected expenses like this are never a joy. Even large jobs such as broken plumbing, septic tank failure, roof damage and more may leave an inexperienced homeowner feeling overwhelmed.

To the credit of many homeowners, if they were not very handy before owning a home, they quickly learn how to replace a tile or two and clean out the sink. Doing as many repair jobs oneself will save endless amounts of money during the course of homeownership.

To be a renter or not to be? That is now the question and it should be chosen after a lot of thought. How much one is willing to repair or cable of doing should go into the mix when making this important decision.

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