Young people moving out on their own frequently have numerous decisions to make regarding what form of living arrangements will be best for them. There is a range of different housing types available including apartments or condos, renting duplexes or houses, or purchasing a single-family home. Although living in an apartment or condo provides an immediately comfortable living environment and renting a duplex offers many of the comforts of independent living, purchasing a single-family home is by far the most comfortable and flexible option available.
For most people, renting an apartment or condo when they first leave home is the quickest option for establishing their own home. In most cities, this type of housing is readily available and offers the benefit of not being permanent if the individual is not sure they are ready to settle in that region. In addition, apartment renting means there is little or no concern for the care and maintenance of the property. As Steve McCutchen (2007) points out, a single check was written to the management company typically takes care of all the regular bills, saving the renter time and stress in attempting to keep up with utilities and other concerns, while also ensuring that at any time of day or night, there is always someone to call when a toilet backs up, an outlet shorts out or the neighbor’s dishwasher starts flooding into the hallway. In addition, the grounds are typically kept looking very nice for potential future residents without requiring any effort from the renters themselves. However, in this scenario, the renter builds no equity in their investment each month and must typically put up with neighbors who are not always as ideal as one might wish.
To work around the problem of noisy neighbors and gain greater flexibility of movement in and out of the rented walls, individuals who can’t afford to purchase a home may choose instead to rent a duplex. “In some parts of the country, the American dream of owning your own home may no longer be a practical possibility for much lower and middle-income Americans” (Pankow, 2002). By renting a duplex or home, the renter is able to attain a sense of ownership in their living environment and gains the ability to behave more like a homeowner in activities such as caring for the lawn and sometimes even painting the interior. Like renting an apartment, the renter of a duplex typically has someone to call when things go wrong but is expected to take greater responsibility for the upkeep of the home. Also like the apartment renter, the renter of a duplex is also not building any equity on their housing investment.
Purchasing a home is typically the best option available for housing choices if it can be arranged. When an individual purchases a home, they are making a major investment in their future. Homeownership provides a person with a sense of pride difficult to attain in any other way and provides the homeowner with the ultimate decisions regarding home improvements and exterior yard decoration. In addition, purchasing a home means the homeowner gains a number of tax breaks and financial options that are simply not possible for the renter. These include an appreciation of the value of the home, mortgage interest deductions, property tax deductions, capital gain exclusion, preferential tax treatment, and equity loans (Weintraub, 2008). While purchasers must be careful to negotiate sustainable mortgages so as not to lose their homes, this is by far the most beneficial living arrangement one can select.
Although there are some advantages to renting an apartment or duplex, both of these options restrict the individual’s freedom of expression in determining their own preferred environment and force individuals to ‘share’ walls, making it necessary for neighbors to ‘work together’ to create a positive living environment. In order to be truly capable of creating the ideal living environment, one must own the house one lives in so as to be able to paint or even knock down walls, replace ugly tile or re-landscape the backyard. This is also the only option in which individuals might actually increase, rather than decrease, their overall wealth.
Works Cited
McCutchen, Steve. “The Advantages of Renting an Apartment vs. Owning a Home.” Ezine Articles. (2007). Web.
Pankow, Debra. “To Buy or Rent? The Choice.” Family Economics. (2002). Web.
Weintraub, Elizabeth. “Before You Buy a Home – Look at Eight Reasons to Buy a Home.” 2008. Web.