_:ncd4ef894e97344a9b3255c86dced51fbxb596
<http://schema.org/text>
"I hear you, but, speaking as someone who's both rented and owned a variety of types of properties, I think it's a mistake to assume that \"owning\" is always more economical. You have to factor in other forms of repeating costs -- association dues, land costs, utilities, higher taxes, and whether or not you have re-sale value. Some rentals can be quite feasible options, especially if you're putting money into investments on a regular basis while renting.&lt;&lt;&lt;DO THIS!!  For many people, home &quot;ownership&quot; is just enforced equity building via a mortgage, and that&#039;s not always the most profitable way to get return on your cash. If you&#039;re disciplined enough to invest in yourself, to turn what would have been mortgage interest into savings, you can sometimes come out better than you would have if you had bought a home. And, there are factors like whether or not you want to get away from dogs, your future plans, the type of neighborhood, etc. If you have to move to a new job, for instance, all the broker and financing fees can easily chomp any profits from equity.\r\n\r\nI retired last year, and wound up in a 55+ mobile home park (horrors!) I can tell you a) I&#039;m far from the only person here who went to college, and b) I knew more of my neighbors in two weeks than I did in 16 years at my old townhouse. (And, I may get a novel out of all the in-park intrigue!) We have strict noise and animal regulations, which I badly needed. (I was forced out of my old place by perpetually barking dogs and was attacked by a neighbor&#039;s pit bull in my car port; &quot;good neighborhood&quot; my ass.) This place is gated, also, which greatly adds to the overall safety factor. I wound up putting about 45% of my equity from the townhouse directly into the bank even though I now have more privacy and 350 more square feet. I still have payments for the association, the space and utilities, but it&#039;s only about a quarter more than I was paying in the townhouse. In the townhouse, technically, I owned the land I was on and now I don&#039;t. Since I didn&#039;t own mineral rights in either case, the difference is pretty trivial. I also looked at putting a small home on a 2-acre rural property I own, but I would have been carrying all the utilities installation and maintenance costs (including hauling water), and that&#039;s a major repeating cost that I still would have had even though, technically, I owned everything. I&#039;m hoping to age-in-place and have no dependents, so I don&#039;t need no stinkin&#039; equity (Although, if I did need to sell, I&#039;d likely break even for this place, which is awesome.) Short version: it&#039;s all big equation. The only way to avoid having to deal with neighbors, regulations, hassles, fees and interest is to be filthy stinking rich out on that private island. The rest of us just have to juggle all those micro-decisions and projections."
<http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2016/04/05/an-open-letter-to-tiny-house-hunters/?replytocom=670610>