Interesting. You don't have to pay it here if you rent, though of course landlords factor property tax into the rent.
It's a huge consideration in the US because property tax rates can vary so much from one town to the next.
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How Do You Decide WHERE to Buy a House?
- Thread starter HappyDude20
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Interesting. You don't have to pay it here if you rent, though of course landlords factor property tax into the rent.
It's a huge consideration in the US because property tax rates can vary so much from one town to the next.
There’s a bit of variety here, but it mostly goes on the number of bedrooms and property value etc.
I spent the first three years of my life in a flat on the top floor of a Georgian house in the city centre while my parents were waiting for our house (which took ages to build, and has four bedrooms, is in a great location, etc was being built).
However, it has left me with a marked preference for old houses in historic city centres, places from where you can walk everywhere to anywhere else you may want.
Both @velocityg4 and @Apple fanboy have written excellent posts on stuff to think about when buying houses.
But, at the end of the day, it is your - the OP's - choice and you must work out what you want and need in a house and whether that is affordable in the sort of area in which you would like to live.
Personally, for example, I would never live in the country, although it is the dream of some.
Sounds like it's a little different for you. All I was saying is that from what I've seen people tend to ignore the mandatory costs that come with homeownership when they conclude what their "profit" was at the time of sale. It depends on how they choose to look at it I suppose, but when it comes to renting versus buying it matters. I'm just crabby because I live in one of the highest taxed states in the country and that housing market trends here are a little odd these days.
I’d always advocate buying over renting.
I finished my mortgage in my 30’s so have been living rent free for more than a decade.
Yes you have to pay some costs for living (upkeep on your home), but generally those costs are more than met by its increase in value).
So for example last year we bought a new boiler for a few thousand pounds. But the property prices went up by more than that last year.
Plus when you come to sell your home, two identical houses, one with a new boiler, one with an old one, which will sell for more (and probably quicker!).
To me it’s a no brainier. Of course the price rises apply to any other property you will buy so that doesn’t really help. However rent also increases. But after 25 years (or whatever), your mortgage is done.
For me the peace of mind knowing when I was made redundant years ago that at least the house is paid for was a godsend.
IMHO if you travel a lot and you don't have a family yet, that's not great for any kind of pet that's affectionate or needs company. Not to mention some pets need daily care.
We're relatively comfortable where we are now. Ideally we'll want to move into something bigger in the future or something the same size but more efficient in terms of space use. Probably won't sell this place because I want to keep my fruit trees and screw moving them. We'll probably buy a few acres and build a house instead of screwing around with already developed parcels.
We've had family who have done just that and built their houses to their liking and not bought-built a spec plan or something that was built during a different era with different ideals and spending a fortune to renovate.
We've had family who have done just that and built their houses to their liking and not bought-built a spec plan or something that was built during a different era with different ideals and spending a fortune to renovate.