Is It Better to Buy or to Rent?

When you begin to look into property for you to live in, you will often find that you have two options open to you – you can buy somewhere, or you can find a place to rent. AMS Housing Group offers great advice with their guaranteed rent scheme. These are options open to many, but you need to make sure that you pick the right one for you. Here are some of the things to consider when you are searching for a place to live, but can’t decide between buying and renting.

Your Financial Situation
The first thing you need to consider is your own financial situation. How much do you have saved up, and what are the costs of property like in your local area? Even if you live in a busy city, you can usually quickly find out some information about how much buying an apartment could cost you. For instance, taking a look at the best home loan rates Singapore has to offer means that you will have a clearer idea of what you can realistically afford in this area. Many times, it actually works out as being cheaper to buy and pay a mortgage than it can be to pay for rent each month. However, within that, you need to make sure that you can afford some of the many fees that come with buying a property.

If you are able to afford the initial high costs that can come with buying a property, you should definitely think about buying one. It gets you firmly on the property ladder, and gives you freedom unlike anything you can find with renting. Though it can be difficult to get the money for a deposit together, doing so means that you could afford mortgage repayments way below your current rent, giving you a more comfortable lifestyle overall.

Your Long-Terms Plans
It is vital that you consider your long-term plans when trying to decide whether you should buy or rent a property. If you are one for travelling a lot, it might not be worth putting roots down in any place. Though you might have fallen in love with a city like Singapore, you are not going to be there for more than a few months at a time. Why should you buy a place then?

If you want to keep moving then just renting places as and when you need them might be the better option. The lifestyle of the digital nomad is appealing to many, and there are so many places that you could decide to travel to.

However, if you want to have a base that you can return to time and time again, buying an apartment can be a great move. You can always rent it out to other travellers, or even on a more long-term basis if you want to make some money in the meantime. This could be just one of the many forms of passive income you set up to fund your wider travels and give you something that you can use once you have had your fill of travelling.

Your Interior Design

How much of an interior designer are you? If you want to stay somewhere with just the basics, then you might decide that you want to rent a furnished flat and make do. There won’t be much you can do in terms of customisation, but it gives you the perfect place to call your first home. For those who do not have much money, or do not want to burden themselves with possessions like furniture, this can be the perfect solution.

If you do want to put your own stamp upon the place, you are probably going to need to buy your own home. There are very few landlords who would be happy with a tenant making major changes to their property unless they were going to be there for several years. Though there are solutions like command hooks that can help you personalise your place, those with a true passion for interior design need to consider waiting until they have their own property to splurge.

Remember that you need to think about the types of furniture that you buy for your place. If there is just a small elevator to take you up to your property, how are you going to get furniture like a sofa up there? These are all careful things to think about when decorating your home. No one wants to buy a beautiful piece of furniture only to discover that it is too big to get to their home.

So, is it better to rent or buy? This will always come down to your individual needs. While buying can be a great move for many to make, it might not be feasible in your current situation, so renting might be for you!