> Why would I ever want to own when I get free maintenance and don't have to worry about a down payment?
Because in fifteen years, you'll be paying 2x to 3x your current rent, but your neighbor who owns his/her place will still be paying the 1x rate you pay today.
That's why common advice is "rent for short term, buy for long term" (for various definitions of "short" and "long").
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If maintenance is your sore spot, you can hire maintenance and insurance services for your own property. Unless your landlord is personally fixing your problems, that's likely exactly what he/she is doing too.
Even if your rent remains relatively low, if you find yourself forced out of that apartment you will suddenly be confronted with a much higher market rate. This can be quite an adjustment if you have taken on other fixed expenses afforded by your long-term below-market rent.
Do you seriously expect your life to have changed so little over the course of the next fifteen years that you'll still want to have exactly the same living arrangement? That sounds like a serious constraint. Being that locked in makes me feel really nervous. Life just isn't that predictable.
> Do you seriously expect your life to have changed so little over the course of the next fifteen years that you'll still want to have exactly the same living arrangement?
Because in fifteen years, you'll be paying 2x to 3x your current rent, but your neighbor who owns his/her place will still be paying the 1x rate you pay today.
That's why common advice is "rent for short term, buy for long term" (for various definitions of "short" and "long").
---
If maintenance is your sore spot, you can hire maintenance and insurance services for your own property. Unless your landlord is personally fixing your problems, that's likely exactly what he/she is doing too.