I am relocating for a job and cannot meet a mortgage payment yet so my options are pretty open as far as what kind of apartment I can rent. I have been in a 4 plex.. standard 800 sq ft place.

Should I move into a bigger community type complex where its a bit nicer, (covered parking, basketball/tennis court, playgrounds for the kids) and management takes care of everything for me or should I look for a smaller home to rent until my income affords me a house? My only concern about renting a home from someone is that I will get stuck fixing stuff on my dollar and my landlord wont be required to take care of certain things around the place.

Does anyone have an opinion of one or the other?

 

At the moment in my life, it's just the girlfriend and I, so if you're married with children, your situation is totally different. However, I still feel that until your ready to really settle down for a good long time, to stick with an apartment. I have a lot of friends who regret renting a house and also regrets from friends who've invested in condos. They just pop up with more expenses, more upkeep, and bigger commitments.

 

Tough call. In the apartment you'd have less space, but you wouldn't need to spend as much cash on maintenance. That might be better if you're saving up for a house.

Do you think the apartment would be big enough for your needs? Are there any extra expenses that you wouldn't have to pay if you rented the house? Is one of them closer to your job, allowing you to save on gas?

 

id say an apartment if you can find one that meets your needs

 

Personally, Apartment. Less maintenance costs - no lawn, garden, etc.
Only problem is that it takes time and patience to find a good one.
I can only speak from my experiences hunting for one in Perth, WA (Western Australia), but at the moment I have a lovely refurbished apartment in a secure complex, Pool, BBQ area, lawns and ample parking. They are hard to come by at a good price with a decent land lord - which we have.

 

you cant get a duplex? I didnt care for apartments becuase the maintenance people were horrible and impossible to get ahold of, the crime goes up in an apartment, and people kept denting my truck.

 

Small home. Have your own driveway and you get to shoot kids in your yard

 

Well, I myself, I live in an old Victorian styled house, which is just one large bedroom, larger living room, kitchen that could hold about 10 people, sunroom, pantry and bathroom. I pay around $350 a month in rent for it and I love it. Perfect since its just me.

 

Shared walls suck. Especially if you have people living on top of you. I'd go for the house personally.

 

I would go for the home. I like having a lawn and not sharing halls and driveways with people.

 

Many good questions/variables raised so far. Also depends on the city/area. If you could BUY a home now, it would be a great time, with the market depressed, but there are ALWAYS hidden repairs you don't know about.

 

The main problem I've encountered with apartments is bad neighbors. There are many perks that go with an apartment...some have free utilities (water, gas), some with throw in free cable or internet, some have washer/dryer inside the unit. But it's hard to find a good apartment with reasonable rent in a decent neighborhood.

If you do decide to rent a house from somebody, make sure you read the rental agreement CAREFULLY. Some things you are expected to fix on your own; any thing else outside of a broken light bulb should be fixed by your landlord.

Good Luck!

 

The Golden Triangle of apartments:
Cost
Quality
Distance

Pick 1 or 2 that are most important and find a nice balance of the 3 you can live with.