Posts with tag renting

The American dream of homeownership for many could be turning into the American dream of renting. Despite a battered housing market that is bouncing back nicely, coupled with historically low interest rates and affordable home prices, a large swath of Americans are beginning to look at renting as an equal or better... Continue Reading »

With home prices soaring and all the news that the housing market is on a definitive recovery track, it begs the question: Is it still cheaper to buy? Home values nosedived around the country after the housing crash, and it became so much more economically efficient to buy at the lows than rent. And even though home... Continue Reading »

By Donna DeZube Find a great housemate and you can end up with a new best friend. Make a bad choice, and you can end up with a fiend. I had the fiend experience back in the '80s when I agreed to split a two-bedroom house with a college student whom I'd just met. It took me a few months to realize that the textbooks she... Continue Reading »

By My First Apartment When you're looking for an apartment for the first time, it can be overwhelming.The best way not to panic is to break the process down into 10 sequential steps. The timeline will mostly depend on how long it will take you to save the upfront cash you'll need, but after the money is in the bank, you... Continue Reading »

By Jeff Brown Older homeowners are often urged to consider "downsizing" -- selling the big family home and using the proceeds to buy a cheaper one and put some cash aside. But there's another downsize option that's rarely discussed: selling the old home and becoming a renter. Clearly, this goes against the grain, as most... Continue Reading »

Isra Hashmi is one of the lucky ones. And even so, she's watched her mother sink under a $700,000 mortgage for a home in California that she never could afford to begin with on a physician's income. Hashmi's mother eventually had to walk away from the house. She's seen her brother have to abandon his home, too, after... Continue Reading »

Gary Malin (pictured at left) is the president of Citi Habitats, one of New York City's largest and most successful residential real estate brokerages. He is also a licensed attorney and a member of the Real Estate Board of New York. Renting out your home for extra income can be a wise decision in today's housing market.... Continue Reading »

By Scott Gamm NEW YORK -- Even though mortgage rates are at historically low levels, it's the rental market in many areas across the U.S. that is really heating up. Obtaining a mortgage is undoubtedly a strenuous process on the heels of tightened credit standards. Add to that the fact that many Americans simply can't... Continue Reading »

It seemed like a race to the bottom this year: Along with continued declines in property values, every season seemed to see another record low in interest rates -- though fewer-than-expected buyers were inclined to take advantage. Also on the way down or stuck in the cellar: the number of Americans who expected to... Continue Reading »

Despite the most affordable buying market in decades, households across the country are slowly choosing rentals versus homeownership, signaling a positive economic trajectory for the multifamily sector, according to Freddie Mac's October 2011 economic outlook report, released Monday. In the year ending June 2011, the... Continue Reading »

Numbers can drive you nuts. Some folks don't like the digits that reveal their ages, others get frustrated by the ones that make up their bank balances. Some parents can't figure out the "new math," and some of us are still a little shaky on the old math. But one number nearly everyone would agree they'd like to raise is... Continue Reading »

Home ownership, long a central pillar of the American dream, seems increasingly unattainable for a growing numbers of households. Yet old views die hard, and nine out of 10 Americans still consider homeownership "an important part of the American dream," according to a June poll by The New York Times/CBS News. Indeed,... Continue Reading »

Leave it to the Baby Boomer generation to transform an old idea into a new trend. In this case, taking in a roommate to help make ends meet. Deerfield, Ill., Patch tells us about the rise in "homesharing," particularly in affluent communities, and talks to a self-described "professional matchmaker" who connects homeowners... Continue Reading »

When Rachel Lewis moved in with her mother-in-law in Oakland, Calif., you can bet it wasn't her idea. "It was my mother-in-law's [idea]," she says. "I did not like it. But the apartment next to ours had been condemned because of mold," she explains, "and our daughter kept getting sick, so we left." Living with family can... Continue Reading »

Even if you're just renting a place for a short time, it's important to personalize it with the style and conveniences that make you feel at home. If you'd like to make home improvements but hesitate because of longer-term living plans, consider projects that can move with you. "I'm a big proponent of 'make it yours,'... Continue Reading »