Even though owning a place where you live is an amazing feeling – everywhere you look, everything is yours, and you can do whatever you want with the space – this isn’t possible for everyone in the world. Lots of people are forced to rent their homes instead of owning them, but that doesn’t have to be the worst thing in the world. On the contrary, if you find the right apartment, the right location, the right size, and the right landlords, renting this space might be better than owning it. So, if you’re wondering whether this is the right thing to do at the moment or not, here are a few benefits of renting an apartment instead of buying it.
The money
Buying a home is an expensive process, it doesn’t really matter where it is, how big it is, or how old it is. Properties have been getting pricier and pricier for a while now, and if you want to become a homeowner, you’re going to need a ton of money. Still, getting enough money for your dream apartment won’t be enough – you’ll have to pay taxes and spend quite a few more dollars on other various expenses.
But, if you decide to rent an apartment instead of buying it, you won’t have to spend that much money. On the contrary, you’ll need to invest only a fraction of that sum every single month, and the best thing about renting is that you can stop doing that whenever you want.
The flexibility
Speaking of which, this is one of the biggest benefits of not buying a home at the moment. If you notice that it’s not working for you right now, you won’t be able to sell it and find another that quickly, which will make you stop looking for a change before you even start doing that. Buying and selling homes is a long and tiring process, and you can’t keep doing that over and over again until you’ve found the perfect place.
But, if you’re renting an apartment, you can leave whenever you want to. Just make sure you specify this in the agreement you’ll sign with your landlord, and nobody will be able to stop you from packing your bags and moving into another apartment that works for you even more.
The location
One of the reasons why people change apartments is their location. While they’re young and wild, they want to be near cafés, clubs, restaurants, and shopping malls, and when they become parents, finding a place near parks, kindergartens, and schools becomes their priority. That’s why renting an apartment is easier for people who aren’t sure where they’ll be in the future, and if you buy a home, you won’t be able to relocate that easily.
This is particularly true for all those people who’d like to live abroad for a while and experience the life of local folks. Instead of staying in a hotel or renting a room for a week or two, you can find a place to live properly and stay there as long as you want. If you’re thinking about visiting Texas, for instance, you can find apartments for rent in Lubbock that will give you everything you need and make you feel like you’ve been living here forever. These apartments are different when it comes to their sizes and prices, which is why finding the right place shouldn’t be hard at all, so start looking for one even before buying a plane ticket to Texas.
The maintenance
Wherever you’re living and whoever you’re living with, you need to remember that you’re going to have certain maintenance costs every single month. While some other costs are the same whether you’re buying or renting an apartment – the cost of you monthly utilities, for instance, are going to stay the same whatever your status is – the cost of your maintenance costs are going to be much lower when you’re a tenant.
The reason for that is quite simple: you won’t have to pay for these things on your own. Instead, your landlord is going to cover all the costs, whether it’s a broken dishwasher or a leaky faucet. That doesn’t mean you can destroy stuff on purpose, though, because they’re not your property, but as long as you’re treating appliances and the entire property with care, your landlord probably won’t have a problem covering maintenance costs.
The amenities
In the end, you need to remember that most apartments that are available on the market come with lots of amenities you wouldn’t be able to access if you were a homeowner. Actually, you would, but you’d have to pay a lot of money for them, but, if you’re renting an apartment, these things are usually free because they’re a part of your rent.
This is particularly important for all those people who are renting apartments in those massive complexes that include things like swimming pools, saunas, gyms, and sports courts. Being able to access these places for free is something you can’t put a price on, but it’s also a benefit that’s going to boost your mental and physical health as well.
The choice between renting or buying an apartment is a hard and complex decision, and you need to give this issue a lot of thought. However, if you’re a person who loves flexibility, enjoys comfort, and hates spending too much money, you’ll see that renting is the right thing to do!
Emma Joyce is an interior blogger from Sydney who likes to explore different styles and learn about home upgrading. She enjoys exploring new places so reading about the world's most beautiful places is what gets her going. She hopes she'll find a great beach house to live in one day. Until then, she likes recreating some of the most amazing coastal interiors.