Rent-to-Own vs. Credit Cards: Which Costs Less?

By Allie Johnson “Renting to own furniture, appliances or even car hubcaps —  that’s the newest  thing — is a bad idea,” says Ed Mierzwinski, federal  consumer program director  for the nonprofit advocacy organization U.S. Public  Interest Research Group.  Rent-to-own is a type of predatory lending, he says.  “The business model is to  promise ownership,

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Is It Better to Buy or Rent?

By Kevin Quealy and Archie Tse Whether renting is better than buying depends on many factors, particularly how fast prices and rents rise and how long you stay in your home. Compare the costs of buying and renting a home using the calculator. The calculator keeps a running tally of the most common expenses of

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Contemplating renting versus buying? A few considerations:

By Eric Santini The decision of whether to rent or buy a home can be a difficult one. When making the decision, it is important to understand the pros and cons of each scenario as well as ignoring the myths that surround them. Below is an analysis of the salient factors in the rent vs. buy decision.

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To buy or not to buy?

This insurance policy can eat up to 2.75% of that down payment immediately. In dollar terms, a home that is $300,000 with 5% down ($15,000) will have an insurance fee of $7,838 — leaving you with only $7,162 equity in the home. If you decide to sell this home a year later and hire a Realtor with fees around $12,500, you would now need to come up with roughly another $7,500 to get out of the home, not to mention the payout penalty that your bank may charge for a fixed rate mortgage which could be another $10,000 — or more or less, depending on how many years you have locked in and current interest rates.

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Difficult to Believe Which Is Cheaper: Housing Markets: Renting Vs. Owning

  by  Russell Legato, Residential Property Analyst Situations in the housing markets: renting vs. owning is more expensive in some parts of the country, but, cheaper in others. Seattle is one such place. In fact, the monthly rent is an average of $377 lower than it would cost to live in the same house and

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Rent vs Buy: Financial Calculator

Rent vs Buy: Financial Calculator This shows a buyer the advantages of tax savings, appreciation, and principal reduction to lower the cost of owning a home. It is suggested that both the buyer and agent agree upon a conservative, realistic estimated appreciation. Tax savings are based on the buyer’s marginal tax bracket given to the

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