The decision to rent a home is not something to be taken lightly. There are many things to consider. When deciding whether to rent or buy, you should consider your finances as well as the market.

Even if you are considering buying a dream home, you can always ask if you have the option to rent until a later time. Financing is what determines whether you can afford to buy or rent. What are some of the expenses when owning a home, as opposed to renting? In a nutshell, this always will be the main determining factor between the two.

When considering buying a house, there are several optional points. You will feel more a part of the community if you buy a house rather than rent. Now you've become a part of the big picture. Communities are collectives.

It is a good idea to be a good neighbor if you own a home that contains many other home owners. You will be expected to stay on top of yard upkeep and to make sure your yard fits in with the landscaping in the rest of the neighborhood. Nobody is going to give you guidelines for living in your new house. Your neighbors believe that you will adapt to their standards. You have the choice of paying a contractor to do the outside maintenance or doing it yourself.

This ideal does leave you a lot of freedom to landscape and plant almost anything you desire. You are encouraged to express your personal tastes. You are free to be an artist in the neighborhood gallery. As long as you are not an abstract artist that loves to copy Jackson Pollack's masterpieces, you are safe. Conformity standards are more of a higher priority than a rented community.

With a rental, you do not have to be concerned about outside appearances of your abode. This is all taken care of for you. In fact, you probably do not have a choice in this matter. Often times, you do not have a choice of the inside colors of your rooms either. These decisions are not in your hands. You are renting. The management company, or owner has made these decisions for you.

When you pay rent, you need to come up with the first and last month's rent as part of a deposit agreement. In most cases, you sign a lease to stay for a determined amount of time, move in and leave the rest to the owners. They provide the maintenance for you as part of the leasing agreement. When you rent a home or apartment and your garbage disposal, or toilet breaks down, the management company, or landlord ensures it's repaired.

When you own a home and something breaks down, it is up to you to get it fixed and pay for the parts and service. Renting a home will take a lot of responsibility for the upkeep out of your hands. Owning a home places these responsibilities directly on the homeowner.

Yet, owning a home does give you more of a sense of stability. The home is yours. You invest the effort and you get the return for your investment. Owning a home gives the homeowner a true sense of ownership. Your domain is truly your own. With renting, this feeling and security is at best a temporary fix, a band-aid on a temporary situation that, ultimately, you have no real control over. The rent can go up, then you have to pay it, or move out. You can also become evicted. These decisions are out of your hands when you are a renter