Is it better to rent or buy? There is no simple answer to the question, yet it’s something we all ask ourselves at some point in our adult lives.

When you ask yourself this question, you’re not just determining whether it’s more affordable to buy or rent. Rather, you’re answering questions about what your life will look like in the coming years--in terms of both lifestyle and location.

In this article, we’re going to talk about the issue of buying vs renting. We’ll talk about ways you can educate yourself to make the most informed decision possible. After all, whether you’re buying a home or signing a lease, this is a decision that will affect a large amount of your time and dictate at least the next year of your life.

Outside influences

Before you start thinking about mortgages and leases, it’s a good idea to get an idea of the market. Specifically, you’ll want to look at the cost of living for the area you plan on moving to. It may seem like common sense that the cost of apartments and houses will rise and fall at the same rate, but evidence points to the contrary.

Elements that are out of your control could be things like:

• Property tax amounts

• Inflation and cost of living changes (gas, utilities, etc.)

• Stock market variations, which affect your investments

• Real estate market changes

• Income changes (job change or loss)

As you can see already, these outside influences have the potential to make a huge impact on whether it makes more sense to rent or buy.

Let’s say you decided to rent a home and put the money you would have used for a down payment into an investment fund. You have a good year and earn 5% on your investments. At the same time, the price of homes as gone down significantly in the area you hope to move.

As you can see, in this scenario it would probably make sense to pay rent for a year before buying a home.

Out-of-pocket expenses and equity

One of the biggest advantages of owning a home is that by definition, if you are making sufficient and timely mortgage payments, you are earning equity. Equity can be used later to make a down payment on a larger home, or for selling to use toward retirement funds later in life.

On the other hand, renting is an out-of-pocket cost that comes at a loss. Once you pay rent, there is no getting it back to use later on.

It may seem like buying is the obvious solution, then. However, there are also many out-of-pocket costs for owning a home. Property taxes, insurance, and interest paid to your lender are all things that you can’t recuperate.

Finding out whether it’s cheaper to buy or rent will come down to balancing those factors, and weighing them against the odds of the real estate market.

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From clogged toilets to a lack of ample shower time, there’s always an issue of too many people and too little bathrooms in a home. Most people will agree that one bathroom isn’t enough in a home. Yet, while you’re on the hunt for a home, should you decide to just settle for a single bathroom or keep hunting for a house with more bathrooms? There is always the additional option of putting in another bathroom as well, although this can be costly.  

 In today’s fast-paced world, we have new bathroom needs that make us look at properties differently. Different cultures are also accustomed to varying standards of bathrooms and home building, and find it a normalcy to have only one bathroom. Also, once upon a time, it was feasible for everyone to have people take their turn in the bathroom-even in America. As the family unit shifted and everyone in the house became accustomed to living on the same exact schedules, it became more necessary to have an extra bathroom. 

Age Of A Home   

While you can survive with one bathroom, the biggest message one bathroom in a home sends is that it’s an older property. That may be the underlying factor that steers people away from one bathroom homes. Many realtors even warn of the difficulties in selling a one bathroom home. Ultimately, the decision is up to you. There’s some things that you should consider when you’re searching for a home and are concerned about the number of bathrooms.

How Many Bathrooms Will You Actually Use?

If you’re a bachelor, living on your own, you may not need more than one full bathroom in a home. For comfort reasons, you could consider places with an additional half-bath, but it may not be necessary. If you’re planning on co-living with your in-laws or friends, you’ll definitely need to consider your need for multiple private baths high.

Home Value

If you can afford the upfront cost, it could be well worth it to put a second bathroom into a one bathroom home. It will add a lot of value to the home once it is sold again and your family will have more privacy and space. Not to mention that your home will be more attractive to buyers once the time to sell does come. 

A Luxury

Homes with extra bathrooms are truly seen as a luxury. Have you ever seen celebrity homes advertised that have more bathrooms than there are bedrooms? There’s probably little reason for that other than the luxury factor. Ultimately, your home search will be a bit harder when you seek out multiple bathrooms. However, if this will increase you and your family’s comfort, the time spent searching is definitely worth it! When you’re on the house hunt, the number and type of bathrooms are just one of many things that you’ll need to consider.

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