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# Is It Better to Rent or Buy?

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<!-- video src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/YKDQGzmo.m3u8" -->
## Video: Is It Better to Rent or Buy?

[Watch (HLS stream): Is It Better to Rent or Buy?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/YKDQGzmo.m3u8) (0:50)

![Is It Better to Rent or Buy?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/YKDQGzmo/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2015-10-25. Is It Better to Rent or Buy?_


---

Jul 27, 2023 7:01 PM UTC

---

## More From This Series

[All Videos](https://time.com/video/)

[To Rent or to Buy in Retirement](/video/Y4b3MkbF/)

### To Rent or to Buy in Retirement

[Report Says Mortgages Are More Affordable Than Renting](/video/jxgngK2X/)

### Report Says Mortgages Are More Affordable Than Renting

[2014’s Most Expensive Rent By City](/video/uJ9JsntK/)

### 2014’s Most Expensive Rent By City

---


## Transcript

[ MUSIC ] So I talked to a lot of people about the benefits of buying versus renting. At the end of the day, renting is literally lighting money on fire to basically stay somewhere. It's like renting a hotel. Right, your just doing it for long term, not building equity in anything, you're not making an investment in anything. You're just burning money. So if you have the down payment, interest rates are so low right now, you're foolish not to take advantage of a strong real estate market and make an investment and build equity, pay down your mortgage over time, build up cash reserves. Really, but to take loans out of that property as it increases in value, to possibly buys a vacation home.

I think the biggest thing people need to think about is just living within their monthly payments, which is one of the things I tell every first time buyer. Is look at what you would need to spend to rent the apartment you would want to buy, and how does it even out with your monthly payment if you were to buy it. If it's plus or minus, 10 to 15 %, you should purchase. But if you're talking about renting something for $ 2, 000 a month that if you buy it, it gonna cost you $ 5, 000 a month, and you just can't afford it, then don't do it. But if you can live within that monthly payment, it's always, always better to have ownership in property.

[ MUSIC ]

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