NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[xifeng]

In an uncharacteristic departure from my usual stance, viz.: "home ownership implies a 30-year commitment to one place which is boring also it is expensive, why would you do that":

THERE ARE HOUSES FOR SALE IN BLOOMINGTON
THAT ARE ACTUALLY WITHIN WHAT I COULD REASONABLY AFFORD ON MY SALARY
ONE OF THEM IS CLOSE ENOUGH PRETTY CLOSE TO WHERE I LIVED WHEN I LIVED THERE
I COULD TOTALLY BUY IT AND GO UP ON THE WEEKENDS AND THEN I WOULD HAVE A PLACE TO LIVE WHEN I GO BACK TO SCHOOL
GRANTED I WOULD HAVE TO HAVE IT CONVERTED*
ALSO THE STAIRS MIGHT GIVE ME TROUBLE**

why car loan and job in Evansville
WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY

ANGST. Also PAAAYYYYYNNNE.


*Madame Lee don't do no expensive-ass gas anything. I could kill the heat and use electric space heaters in the winter until I could afford to have the whole shebang converted, also I could have the stove done as it would be less outlay
**The property info sheet says, "Please be careful on the stairs!" I don't know if the stairs are just narrow and weird to navigate if you're not used to them, or if they need substantial work done

Comments

[forgottensanity.livejournal.com]

Getting a house is made of complete WIN!


Okay, I might be a little biased.

[shake-the-stars.livejournal.com]

I have never in my life wanted a house, because that means, like, domesticity and staying in one place, and I am very much not about that. I'm only still in Evansville because I don't have a choice.

But if it were a cheap house and I could pay it off relatively quickly, I could make that work. Also: I can make anything work in Bloomington. :D

[forgottensanity.livejournal.com]

I've always sort of thought of Americans as a nomadic people. To me, they seem to move around a lot. In Denmark, when you want to rent a flat, you have to put up a substantial amount of money usually consisting of at least three months rent (the deposit) and the first month's rent in advance. You might as well wave goodbye to the deposit. They allegedly use it to renovate the flat after you leave, but I think they also polish the insides of their wallets.

I don't trust that kind of people. >.>

Anyway. The deposit isn't cheap and neither are the monthly rents. A lot of times it is actually cheaper to buy than it is to rent.

I am now getting to the point of this story. How cheap or expensive is it to rent in the US?

I've wondered if it is cheaper to drop a flat and find a new one, since a lot of the Americans I have been in correspondence with seem to move around so much.

[shake-the-stars.livejournal.com]

Well, I have moved a lot, but I can assure you there are many Americans who are less nomadic than I am. On average, we moved about every couple of years when I was growing up; before I came back to Indiana when I was 17, I had never lived anywhere for longer than 4 years. I've met people who have lived here all their lives, though, so.

American deposits are typically not that high; when I had the apartment in Bloomington, I gave them a month's rent as a deposit, and after they subtracted like $50 for standard cleaning (because in two years I did not manage to totally wreck the place), I got the rest of it back. You will pay more if you have pets, generally, but it shouldn't be more than about $30-$35 extra, and deposits are usually not more than a month's rent (if it's otherwise, they will often say so in advertising). I agree with you that the landlords are probably using their tenants' money to polish the insides of their wallets. Gotta keep those clean and shiny!

Anyway, getting to the point: It depends on where you live, on what you're getting for what you're paying, and what's the best fit for your lifestyle.

In places that are not densely populated, it may be cheaper to buy a house. I have no experience buying or renting in major cities (my parents did when I was growing up, but I was 5 or 6 so talk of mortgages and rent didn't interest me). Generally, the more people there are, the higher the price of housing, regardless of whether you buy or rent.

Among the houses I looked at in Bloomington, one runs about $25K (less than what I make in a year), but it only has a bathroom, a kitchen, and two other rooms. I could rent a similar set-up for $500 a month and not be stuck with all the obligations that come with home ownership here (property taxes, lawn maintenance, etc etc). The one that is closer to what I really want runs around $35K-$40K for nine rooms, and I couldn't get that affordably if I rented, but if I bought it it would be much cheaper, even taking taxes and maintenance into account. However, the reason it is so cheap is because it's a ways out there--it's not as close to the University, where housing costs more because people want that sweet, sweet student money. And, also, I have no intentions of living in one place for the rest of my life; I'm not done living in Bloomington, but someday I will be, and when I am, it'll be time to leave. It's much easier to break a lease (or simply not renew it) than it is to put a house on the market.

Generally, yes, it can be easier and cheaper to drop a flat and find a new one. Home ownership is beyond the means of a lot of Americans.

[forgottensanity.livejournal.com]

I think that is really interesting to know! Thanks for explaining it in depth. :-)

[simplypeachy.livejournal.com]

*cshshcshhcsclickWHIINEwhine*

*rustlerustle*


ATTENTION XIFENG. ATTENTION. THIS IS THE SHOUTY POLICE.

WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE.

WE KNOW YOU'RE LOOKING AT HOUSES.

COME OUT WITH YOUR WELCOME MAT UP AND WE CAN TALK.

DON'T MAKE US DEPLOY THE WHITE PICKET FENCE.

[shake-the-stars.livejournal.com]

YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE, SHOUTY COPPERS!

*hides behind makeshift barricade of property information sheets and mortgage applications*