New apartment

[priestsallore]

So, I'm getting a new apartment here by the next 2 months. Already bought all the furniture, got a 50" tv, and about to buy all of my kitchen & bathroom accessories. Anyone have some decorating ideas? Its a 2 story townhome style apt, 3 bed. Or will be leasing a home.

Also, when I move in, everyone is welcome, and would love to have a home breaking party haha. :beer:

 

[Thai]

So, I'm getting a new apartment here by the next 2 months. Already bought all the furniture, got a 50" tv, and about to buy all of my kitchen & bathroom accessories. Anyone have some decorating ideas? Its a 2 story townhome style apt, 3 bed. Or will be leasing a home.

Also, when I move in, everyone is welcome, and would love to have a home breaking party haha. :beer:

Don't listen to people!! Buying a home does NOT save money! Trust me! :roadkill: Renting a townhome or apartment is a good idea esp if you don't have a family or have a small family.

With the 50" TV, don't forget a decent surround sound system to enjoy Batman Dark Knight Rises this coming Tuesday!!!!

I am color-blind...so, yeah, utterly useless in decorating!

 

[priestsallore]

Haha i need the surround sound still.. You got one i can buy?

& the apts i want are about 1200 after utilities.

 

[westwind77]

Don't listen to people!! Buying a home does NOT save money! Trust me! :roadkill: Renting a townhome or apartment is a good idea esp if you don't have a family or have a small family.

Sorry Thai, disagree with your statement. I know you are a 'fact' man so...

Bought in 06' and I can sell my house and make 20k over what I purchased it for (given the economy and when I bought that is better than most!)

Now..if I rented it would have been a minimum of $1,200 a month, so $14,400/year, or $86,400 in money I would NEVER see again in just 6 years! Sure, there is interest with the mortgage, but it also is a tax deduction. It helps if you have low rate and can kick in additional principle over time as well. Yes, there still is taxes on a house, but where I live they are very low. If you rent or own you still have to carry insurance as well so that is a equal cost. (That $1,200 is being on the low est side as well).

If you are going to be somewhere a year or two, sure rent away, I did it for 3 years in FL. If you know you are going to be somewhere longer, it can be better to own than rent. Owning is not for everyone for many reason, but to make a blanket statement like that is not accurate, very surprising for you.

As far as design or decoration ideas, get a girlfriend for a few weeks, then you will be set

 

[priestsallore]

Haha I plan to own soon, but after i finish my schooling.

& I have a girlfriend... But I do need a guys touch too so it doesnt get overtaken LOL

 

[jwyshrek]

If you are going to be 'tinkering' with your truck, you may want to get an apartment with a garage option.

I lived in apartments for over 14 years...they usually frown on people working or even washing their cars out in the open on the apartment complex.

 

[GMZ]

I just do my work when the office is closed.

 

[Thai]

Sorry Thai, disagree with your statement. I know you are a 'fact' man so...

Bought in 06' and I can sell my house and make 20k over what I purchased it for (given the economy and when I bought that is better than most!)

Now..if I rented it would have been a minimum of $1,200 a month, so $14,400/year, or $86,400 in money I would NEVER see again in just 6 years! Sure, there is interest with the mortgage, but it also is a tax deduction. It helps if you have low rate and can kick in additional principle over time as well. Yes, there still is taxes on a house, but where I live they are very low. If you rent or own you still have to carry insurance as well so that is a equal cost. (That $1,200 is being on the low est side as well).

If you are going to be somewhere a year or two, sure rent away, I did it for 3 years in FL. If you know you are going to be somewhere longer, it can be better to own than rent. Owning is not for everyone for many reason, but to make a blanket statement like that is not accurate, very surprising for you.

As far as design or decoration ideas, get a girlfriend for a few weeks, then you will be set

Westwind, you're correct for most folks. Note my "if" statement in my original post. priestsallore is just starting out. But, geez, with me, the maintenance costs of owning a home sure add up. I was just posting my frustrations! We ended up paying off our mortgage because the tax deductions was not nearly as much as the interest from the mortgage. Yeah, mortgage is better than car loan, but that's where the advantage ends. We just had a plumbing leak relating to our island kitchen...$7400 down the drain! (And that is with calling 10 plumbers out to give estimates.)

 

[Thai]

Haha i need the surround sound still.. You got one i can buy?

& the apts i want are about 1200 after utilities.

IMHO, $1200 for a big apartment after utilities is awesome! Given your circumstances, i would jump at it instead of buying a home.

 

[broncosi]

A couple of links I used when I moved into a one bedroom:

Decorating ideas
Just for inspiration
AskMen's Thoughts
Items you should pay attention to

 

[broncosi]

I also want to add, me being in school as well, I would wait until after graduation for buying. The market (I think) will be in better shape(at least where I am).

 

[GMZ]

Damn that's a lot of coin. I stay in a dump for $750 incl utilities split with my gf. It allows me ample fun money.

 

[Thai]

I also want to add, me being in school as well, I would wait until after graduation for buying. The market (I think) will be in better shape(at least where I am).

Now, i am no real estate agent, but isn't now a good time to buy given how poor the housing market is?? I really don't know...just hearing stuff. Basically, if you know that you will be there for a long time, then it may be a good time to buy now because houses are cheap now...and hopefully, will only go up in value down the road (if you're in a good neighborhood).

 

[priestsallore]

Damn that's a lot of coin. I stay in a dump for $750 incl utilities split with my gf. It allows me ample fun money.

I halfway agree. But at the same time, I don't want to be in a place full of wanna-be gangsters riding 40" rims on a brand new Charger (Yes, there is one, I kid you not....stupid kid.. and no offenses to anyone.). The place I found is a townhome style apartment, 2 floor, 3 bed 2 bath with plenty of space in every which way, secluded & out of the way, in an extremely nice area. 1045 for the 3 bdrm isn't bad at all.

Site : http://www.legacyatcrownmeadows.com/Apartments/module/photos/property[id]/14993/

& at bronco, I love the AskMen section.. haha

 

[Husker Z]

Now, i am no real estate agent, but isn't now a good time to buy given how poor the housing market is?? I really don't know...just hearing stuff. Basically, if you know that you will be there for a long time, then it may be a good time to buy now because houses are cheap now...and hopefully, will only go up in value down the road (if you're in a good neighborhood).

If you are a first time buyer and aren't trying to sell your current house, it couldn't be a better time to buy.

Housing prices are down a bit nation wide, some worse than others, and mortgage rates are at a 50 year low, so yeah, it's a great time to buy.

But, it depends on everyone's situation too. If your job isn't stable or you think you may have a break in your income at some point, you could get in trouble pretty fast.

 

[westwind77]

We just had a plumbing leak relating to our island kitchen...$7400 down the drain! (And that is with calling 10 plumbers out to give estimates.)

That is the one downfall to the ownership without a doubt! Nice just to call maintenance or the landlord for a fix, then again getting them to actually fix it is another issue. Most of the money I have spent has been with improvements, minimal repairs (knocks on wood). I loved renting when I was on my own and younger, would have been no fun to deal with all the 'chores'.

 

[jwyshrek]

" But, geez, with me, the maintenance costs of owning a home sure add up. I was just posting my frustrations!"

Amen to that brother! Living in an apartment is so much easier...especially when things start to break or quit working.

Owning a house is like having a baby...you are always going to spend money on it and you are going end up spending (a lot) of money on things you never expected to buy. Unless you buy the 'perfect' house, which I doubt anyone does, you are going to be spending some weekend hours at Home Depot and Lowes.

And if you have a decent lawn with trees...a whole new ball of wax.

Not trying to discourage anyone from home ownership...I think it is good in the long term.

BUT, heard a financial adviser on TV once say...treat your house like a home, not an investment. I think this is one of the reasons we as a nation got into mortgage trouble...treating our homes that were paid or nearly paid off as an ATM machine. (Hell, people in Cali where I used to live did that with less than a year of ownership...idiots.)

Anywho...good luck.

 

[theizzardking]

well, i'll play devils advocate..i just bought a home about 5~6 months ago, sure i have to do all of my own up keep but i already have $30,000 or so in equity built up in my house, i personally think it's a very good time to buy right now, worst case buy the house and turn around and sell it in a couple of months, the way i look at it is either the market tanks and we're all on the street looking for food and shelter or i'm buying at the lowest point in my life time.

really i'm considering selling my house pocketing the extra money i made in the last couple of months and buying another one....it all comes down to your income level and the house your looking at. i really do think it's a great time to buy anything, stock,homes ect ect ect....yeah and like said above please stay within your means...paying rent is essentially paying off someone else's mortgage and allowing them to collect the equity as well as all of the tax benefits of owning a home, your money isn't working for you...i'm sorry but owning a home is right up there with gun owner ship as part of being an American, a home is an investment, i think too many people make bad investments so it's easy for people to say things like treat a home as a home and not an investment, i'm 31 and am on my second home, i have never lost money on a house because i wait and buy good deals on home instead of buying my dream home or what's pretty, it's all about the cost/value ratio....really there's lots of money to be made right now if you invest smartly...and if the market goes to hell we'll all be standing in bread lines ad your home mortgage will be the least of your worries...

 

[Dawg4Runner]

So, I'm getting a new apartment here by the next 2 months. Already bought all the furniture, got a 50" tv, and about to buy all of my kitchen & bathroom accessories. Anyone have some decorating ideas? Its a 2 story townhome style apt, 3 bed.

Haha I plan to own soon, but after i finish my schooling.

& I have a girlfriend... But I do need a guys touch too so it doesnt get overtaken LOL

I agree that home ownership can be a real pain with maintenance and upkeep. But to me, ownership is a better long term financial decision and state of mind. Just don't bite off more then you can chew. As others have stated, its a perfect buyers market right now with the low interest rates and low home prices. I also understand your current position with school and all so I see where buying isn't in your best interest right now.

As far as the decorating, unless its a real big issue for you, let the GF take the helm on that with little hints and input from your end. I've always abided by the philosophy of "happy wife (GF in your case)=happy life." Of course that rule does not apply to the garage, workshop or any designated Man Cave. For some "Man" type of ideas, check out the local Restoration Hardware.

 

[broncosi]

Now, i am no real estate agent, but isn't now a good time to buy given how poor the housing market is??

To buy yes, I was thinking in a backwards manor to the poster before you about selling and how this is a horrible time to sell.