Re: buying or renting
Both a little emotion and a little math went into my thought process.
Emotionally, I like the idea of owning the house as I do plan on living there for a (hopefully) very long time. It's a great place and I enjoy every minute I'm there.
From a math perspective, I figured if it "costs" the same on an annual basis to own or rent (say the $7 to $8k mentioned above), and there is the financial benefit of any appreciation (it will continue when the market turns around). This means you haven't just tossed the $7 to $8K away every year.
I do realize you have the headaches of owning to deal with (which for 2 years for me haven't been all that bad - a few phone calls here and there), and if you rent you obviously have the choice NOT to rent every year.
But for me - owning was the way to go.
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