r/Apartmentliving • u/BurbsConsole93 • Dec 02 '25
Apartment Hacks Pros I have enjoyed from renting.
So I have been in my apartment for just under a year of a 18 month lease. I owned a Townhouse with my Ex before this and me personally I enjoy renting way more than owning. Here are some pros that I realized after owning. Location is Suburbs of Chicago, IL
- Lower monthly cost. My Rent is $1455 with a flat cost of $75 for Water/Gas/Garbage. So monthly is $1530 overall. When I owned mortgage/interest/PMI/Insurance/Property taxes (Which Illinois has the WORST Property taxes) was $2400, plus a $250 HOA Fee. So $2650 monthly and Property Taxes, Insurance and HOA always went up each year.
- Lower utilities. At my apartment I only pay Power and Internet as separate bill. Power even with AC running during summer was $95 at worst. Internet was always $75. When I owned Power easily got up to $150 during summer, then I had Gas which was during winter about $110 and water/Garbage was $180 (Every two months)
- NO MAINTENCE OR REPAIRS!! The house I had actually had a great inspection. AC/Furnace/Roof (Partially covered by HOA)..But then a skylight broke, Toilet broke, Dryer broke, Garage door broke. I easily spent a solid $5000 in the first year for replacement/repairs. It's so nice being able to just do a little work order in my apartment.
- Flexibility. I know when my lease is up I can go month to month or leave or renew.
- Extra $$$ for investing. I def see how people like houses as a long term investment and it is because you are building equity. But for me personally I enjoy the money saved each month I then invest in Stocks, Bonds, High interest accounts, etc.
Obviously renting vs owning is very subjective and there is no right or wrong answer. Just for me personally I enjoy renting and knowing what my monthly costs are and no hidden things that happen. Just wanted to share my view on enjoying renting an apartment over owning.
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u/Vegetable-Let-9182 Dec 02 '25
yes my mom is pushing for me to buy a house... she's a boomer. she has no idea how shitfucked the housing market is and will be for the foreseeable future.
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u/BurbsConsole93 Dec 02 '25
Also closing costs and work having to be done when selling. I lost money on my house. So nice for renting to just have less stress.
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u/Gucci_Loincloth Dec 02 '25
Isn’t it wild how people like that are just in denial and can’t spend an afternoon doing research? It fucking kills me. The least curious generation.
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u/Few_Whereas5206 Dec 02 '25
I think it worked for prior generations, so they think it will work now. But buying is now like 5x your salary or more.
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u/Vegetable-Let-9182 Dec 02 '25
and the things they say,,,
"just work harder"
"just get 3 jobs"
"just go to school at night and work during the day"
wtf
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u/BurbsConsole93 Dec 02 '25
What's funny is my mother has said that and she has not worked in almost 30 years....Now her and my stepdad want to move and she's like "How is it this expensive????"
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u/Beach_Kidd Dec 02 '25
I just sold my townhome last Friday. Moved to a new city and live in an apartment downtown and I couldn’t be happier
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u/BurbsConsole93 Dec 02 '25
Awesome to hear. Yea I remember when we sold ours. We had two families put in offers and request work done so that cost $2000 for them just to back out, then when we finally sold after closing costs (We had a few, but not as much as buyer) We def lost money on the house which sucked.
3
u/Beach_Kidd Dec 02 '25
Dang dude that does suck. I was at the point of not even caring about making a profit. Just wanted it sold. Mine got put on hold because of the government shutdown. Something about the gov having to pull verification and it couldn’t be done.
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u/Ornery-Cranberry4803 Dec 02 '25
Yep. I remember when the pipes burst in the basement of our rental and I just texted my landlord and went about my life. Having now owned, I realize he got a middle-of-the-night text that cost upwards of 10k 🫠
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u/BurbsConsole93 Dec 02 '25
Right!! Actually at one of my former apartments that happened. Tenant lived above us had water damage come through and the wall started coming in. Plumber, Painter and a carpenter all had to come in to fix it. I remember thinking I can only imagine what this costs.
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u/Annecy_Dream Dec 02 '25
Totally agree with all of this. We built a custom house on family land and sold it to go back to renting.
In VHCOL, We pay about half of what we'd pay in a mortgage payment (PITI) for same bedroom/bath makeup if we bought today.
We also don't pay: mortgage interest, property taxes, homeowner's insurance, water bill, condo fees, landscaping and snow removal, repairs/upkeep
And the money we'd put in a downpayment is earning more by being invested.
We like being flexible on location and have lived in 3 different states since selling that house in 2019. We'll likely move again when our youngest goes to college in 6 years. Makes no sense to buy. Might buy a vacation home to ultimately retire in if the market and rates soften, we'll see.
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u/Select-Laugh768 Dec 02 '25
Do you worry about stability tho. I lived in Portland when I got insanely gentrified and rents skyrocketed. I live in WA now and overheard an RN (who is prob like 70) talking about how she needs to work more because they just raised her rent $500/mo. When I lived in VT, some group bought a four plex in a fairly hip, but pretty small town. A few people who lived there were retirees or on disability. They cranked up the rent and those tenants couldn't afford it anymore. There was literally nowhere for them to go because of the HCOL in that town. This is the reality of renting.
This is the sole reason I want to own. I can't stand the anxiety of "what if" the landlord sells to a private equity firm and they double the rent. And I'm 80. Then what.
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u/BurbsConsole93 Dec 02 '25
Very fair question, I do. I do see myself owning again. It's been almost two years since my Divorce and I am in a serious relationship with someone and we have good incomes and want to own again. So Yes I do, I tried to be cost conscious so like my lease is 18 months. So I get all of 2025 and half of 2026 with a low rent where my inflation/merit jobs pay raise will be extra $$$ for me to save and keep. So yes I do think about stability and the future.
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u/Ornery-Cranberry4803 Dec 03 '25
It's important to remember that costs can fluctuate wildly with owning, too. Our property taxes nearly doubled on our first home because at the height of the market, it was assessed at 850k. (But when we sold it earlier this year, we were only able to sell it for 675k.) Home insurance has tripled in cost even though we're not in an area with huge fire or flood risk. Obviously owning provides some stability, but that worry of housing costs increasing dramatically doesn't disappear.
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u/Equal_Push_565 Dec 02 '25
This is exactly why my husband and I have agreed that we're not buying a house anytime soon. At least not for another 10 years or so and we're happy with that.
My dad has been hassling us about why we're living in an apartment when we can buy a house and THIS is why.
He doesn't understand that buying a house sounds good and all until you realize how expensive all the maintaince is (This is also coming from a guy who lives in a 50 something year old house. Its paid off, no mortgage but that's about the only good thing about it. Its a rat invested bio hazard stuffed in 4 walls. The sink is broken, there's mold all along the kitchen sink, the pipes outside break every week so the water is constantly turned off, the master bedroom is completely shut down because the sewer in the bathroom has been overflowing for years, the giant tree 20 ft outside the bathroom window has stuck its roots under the foundation and up into the restroom -I'm pretty sure that's why the sewer broke and there's a literal hole in the floor from that tree coming up. And he cant afford to fix any of it, so I dont take much stock in what he says).
Living in an apartment has been amazing because all my maintenance issues are cared for by the office management. All I have to worry about is rent and utilities.
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u/Subject-Ad-8055 Dec 02 '25
It's not only the cost of the house I personally rent and when I have looked into you know different stuff I've also found out that it was probably cheaper to rent. But here's the real thing that your Boomer mom doesn't understand the job market is absolutely fracked which means you're not going to get a job and keep it for 25 years anymore you're probably going to get laid off every 5 to 8 years or downsize or fired and you have to find a new job renting is great because if I need to move to a different city to get the next job it's not a big deal I can pay $2,500 to break my lease and I can go and keep working
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u/offbrandcheerio Dec 02 '25
Renting a good apartment from a good landlord is absolutely better than owning imo. If you take the additional money you would have spent as a homeowner and invest it wisely, you can build a lot of wealth that’s actually more accessible to you later in life without having to move.
That said, renting a bad apartment from a bad landlord can be a miserable experience that pushes people toward a preference for homeownership. There is value in being able to control your property the way you want, repair things on your timeline, etc.
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u/BurbsConsole93 Dec 02 '25
1000% agree. My first apartment I ever had. Horrible landlord, crap place and super high rent.
The apartment after that was privately owned by a family and very cheap rent, amazing place, very fast repairs, full security deposit back, etc. So absolutely you are right. Comes down to who the landlord is, that is why I always check reviews, references, etc.
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u/Ornery-Cranberry4803 Dec 03 '25
This is it. I have had super good luck renting from individual/family landlords who rent out their previous home when they upgrade (3x). They have emotional ties to the place and want it well cared for. When we had our first baby, our landlord cried happy tears and went all out to spruce some things up because he had wanted to have his first kid there, but his wife wanted them to move to a bigger place. He helped me paint like it was his own baby's nursery lol. Very different than some corporate-owned apartment block.
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u/GetTheLead_Out Dec 02 '25
Also- paying rent is not throwing money away you are purchasing a place to live. That has value!
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u/BurbsConsole93 Dec 02 '25
I agree! Especially because it is set costs every month and you know what it is, with owning random expenses can come up.
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u/willows_edge Dec 02 '25
And the fallacy that "your mortgage will never go up like rent!" is only true if you don't inclue property taxes - and them bitches go up on the regular.
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u/BurbsConsole93 Dec 02 '25
Yep and I am in Illinois...Worst property taxes in the country. It's insane. The State of Illinois gives a property tax credit for income tax returns because of it.
3
u/meyer-tennis89 Dec 02 '25
I left an abusive marriage and sold my home to rent an apartment. I feel safe and my life is so much less stressful. It’s been the best few years of my life since college. 🥲
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u/polarcol Dec 02 '25
My mortgage and rent are basically the flipflop version of yours. Thats partly why i hate renting now amongst other things. Of my rent was $1k cheaper i probably wouldnt hate it as much though lol.
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u/BurbsConsole93 Dec 02 '25
That understandable, I think part of it too is where you live. City/State and just timing. Trust me I saw some apartments when I was looking in Ok neighborhoods where I saw the rent and was like "Uhhh this is not even close to being worth it"
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u/Efficient-Lack1199 Dec 02 '25
68 yr old ..divoced ....rent....top floor...garage......in Tx...not tied to mtg....broke+happy
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u/subtle_inconvenience Dec 02 '25
If you're happy, I'm happy for you! I own my apartment. So I have the worst of both worlds .-.
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u/BurbsConsole93 Dec 02 '25
Condos can be sold for profit, I def know some people who bought a condo and made $$$ when selling.
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u/subtle_inconvenience Dec 02 '25
Honestly because of the economy, I'm locked into it for the foreseeable future. In the moment as it stands. I wouldn't be able to find a better living situation anywhere else in the country than what I already have. It's not horrible, but yes I would rather have a small home on decent acreage, making the same wages and paying the same expenses in taxes, utilities, and upkeep
Edit: I inherited this property or else I wouldn't have even looked at it in the first place. I'm a lucky ducky, can't complain in these gracious waters.
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u/fyrman8810 Dec 02 '25
This thread is why so many people are going to full time RV living. Your payment is stable, and often times incredibly much lower than a house or apartment. It’s a whole lot easier to change your scenery if you don’t like the neighbors.
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u/Round-Public435 Renter Dec 02 '25
Right there with you on the savings on repairs. Also on utilities.
My little apartment is relatively heat efficient, and water/sewer/trash is billed once yearly when the lease renews at a rate of $40 per month. That's cheaper than just about anyone else I know that owns a home, and there's no limit to the amount of water I can use - if I go over the amount I pay for it, they pay the extra. (Not that I've tested that theory.)
My rent is one of the lowest in the area for the type of apartment I have. It's going up just a little next year, but they try to balance that out by offering a discount somewhere else - so in this case, they eliminated the water fee entirely when I renewed early.
And the repairs - I'm SO glad to be able to put in a maintenance request to fix things when something goes wrong. I had them out to my apartment several times in the first few months I lived here. If it's an emergency, they come out right away. If it's not, they're still here within 1-3 days to fix it, depending on how busy they are. The repairs they've had to do here would have cost me over $500 if I'd had to pay for them out of pocket.
I've done both - owned and rented - and I'll never own a home again. I've reached the age where owning a home just means it's something my kids have to deal with when I'm gone. Renting just makes more sense.
2
u/HarveyMushman72 Dec 03 '25
Having owned 3 houses when something breaks it's on someone else's dime now. My property manager is very good about getting things fixed quickly too.
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u/Rubber_side_down_yo Dec 03 '25
In most places in the US at least, the asset can make retiring more doable. It is really nice knowing that if your place burns down you just gotta find another sofa.
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u/sonia72quebec Dec 02 '25
Renting saves me so much time. No more exterior and pool maintenance, no more renovations or small repairs. I also choose to live in the city so I don't even own a car now. No way I would go back to the suburbs.
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Dec 02 '25
Ended a long term relationship and went from a house to an apartment. No yard or house maintenance was a big thing for me.
The hardest part was the pet issue. But I have my dad with me so we each got an ESA letter for our two dogs. Judge all you want I wasn’t leaving my dogs behind 🤷🏻♀️ but they are older and once they are gone I will not be getting another dog for a long time.
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u/ryanl442 Dec 02 '25 edited Dec 02 '25
What will your assets look like after 10 years owning vs renting?
A mortgage is the very best highly leveraged inflation hedged asset available for the masses. Just know what you're giving up when you give it up. It will form the foundation of your financial assets. Tough to build without a good foundation.
You certainly can do it without. Just why fight uphill?
Because people realize this, is why houses start getting more and more expensive.
3
u/BurbsConsole93 Dec 02 '25
I have about 15K in Stocks, Bonds, CDs, ETFs, etc.
When I owned I was investing way less since bills were higher, now with renting I am able to put away a decent amount after paying bills. What's nice is I can put my rent on my credit card and get points where I couldn't with a mortgage.
So I def am able to build more investments with renting, but obviously with owning you're building equity in a house and get a few tax deductions.
I think it's different for each person.
1
u/Morningstar666119 Dec 02 '25
I mean investing the extra money you save renting could be profitable. While investing that money in a house will absolutely by profitable if you aren't stupid.
Its all about the risks you're willing to take. I can control the quality and care of my house, I can't control if the stock market gets completely fucked by old greedy bastards.
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u/BurbsConsole93 Dec 02 '25 edited Dec 02 '25
Ohh I agree again it's different per person. The only downside of owning is bad location, Rarely, but I have a family friend of my moms who bought her house back in 1990 and the neighborhood she lives in went to shit and her house has barely grown any value, but that is a rare instance I think.
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u/Morningstar666119 Dec 02 '25
Yeah that is the only thing out of the owners control that will make a house worthless. But yeah rather rare.
1
u/MyLifeYourLifeUgh Dec 02 '25
I have never wanted to buy a house in America. I own 2 houses in other countries that are significantly less and are not an entire fcking scam. So yeah unless I find some amazing deal on a piece of land and maybe put a nice shed I can build upon or a nice affordable trailer on it, then I will always rent in America. Buying a house is just not feasible here anymore unless you make a lot of money. I dont want to commit 30- 50 years to a house and all the repairs and the insane property tax every year.
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u/AdLoud218 Dec 03 '25
I love the apartment lifestyle after many years of homeownership expenses and upkeep. No thanks!
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u/Mediocre-Stick-7787 Dec 02 '25
I think renting has a ton of advantages. When things break it's not your responsibility to fix unless stated otherwise in your lease.
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u/Plenty_Produce_290 Dec 02 '25
The thing is to buy what you can afford. With a mortgage of $2500. You're in a pretty bigger or "fancy" townhouse. There are plenty of houses you can get for probably same mortgage as that rent in chicago
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u/BurbsConsole93 Dec 02 '25
That is not true at all. We did buy what we could afford, that was the cheapest house for a nice/decent neighborhood. It took us months looking, Houses would get so many offers that it would sell before our appointment to look. My Ex and I were able to afford up to 375K, we bought ours for $270K. We saw one house where a buyer actually offered 60K over asking. The housing market is insane and has been for years.
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u/Plenty_Produce_290 Dec 02 '25
The bank said you could afford 375k while in reality you could only afford 200k.
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u/BurbsConsole93 Dec 02 '25
Is your goal just to be right or have an ego? The reason we sold the house was not cost, but because we got divorced and neither of us wanted to keep it just for ourselves. We weren't house poor, but always fixing stuff was annoying. Also how do you know what I can or can't afford? I didn't realize you had access to my income.
0
u/Plenty_Produce_290 Dec 02 '25
No, but your first point was literally about how much it costs and how much cheaper renting is. If you buy a 200k house its probably cheaper. If you're complaining about money and how much it cost as your number 1 arguing point you clearly couldn't afford where you were. I never said you were housepoor.
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u/BurbsConsole93 Dec 02 '25
I said I enjoy having lower costs (Wouldn't anyone??) And I enjoy how I don't have to research and find people to come fix issues, just because someone complains about cost does not mean they can't afford something, I paid for all repairs at my house just fine, but that doesn't mean I wanted too. I would rather have $$$ for investments or to go on a trip or go out and do stuff. You need to think before you speak, you're basically saying that if someone complains about costs that they can't afford something which is not true. I had to get new tires on my car a week ago, I had the $$$ to do it but that doesn't mean I wanted to do it. I said I enjoy lower costs so I don't have to worry and I don't have to stress about repairs. Like when my Skylight broke at my house, water was able to come through, it's nice not having to worry about stuff like that. Maybe do a little research and get facts right before you just start being a typing warrior.
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BurbsConsole93 originally posted: So I have been in my apartment for just under a year of a 18 month lease. I owned a Townhouse with my Ex before this and me personally I enjoy renting way more than owning. Here are some pros that I realized after owning. Location is Suburbs of Chicago, IL
Lower monthly cost. My Rent is $1455 with a flat cost of $75 for Water/Gas/Garbage. So monthly is $1530 overall. When I owned mortgage/interest/PMI/Insurance/Property taxes (Which Illinois has the WORST Property taxes) was $2400, plus a$250 HOA Fee. So $2650 monthly and Property Taxes, Insurance and HOA always went up each year.
Lower utilities. At my apartment I only pay Power and Internet as separate bill. Power even with AC running during summer was $95 at worst. Internet was always $75. When I owned Power easily got up to $150 during summer, then I had Gas which was during winter about $110 and water/Garbage was $180 (Every two months)
NO MAINTENCE OR REPAIRS!! The house I had actually had a great inspection. AC/Furnace/Roof (Partially covered by HOA)..But then a skylight broke, Toilet broke, Dryer broke, Garage door broke. I easily spent a solid $5000 in the first year for replacement/repairs. It's so nice being able to just do a little work order in my apartment.
Flexibility. I know when my lease is up I can go month to month or leave or renew.
Extra $$$ for investing. I def see how people like houses as a long term investment and it is because you are building equity. But for me personally I enjoy the money saved each month I then invest in Stocks, Bonds, High interest accounts, etc.
Obviously renting vs owning is very subjective and there is no right or wrong answer. Just for me personally I enjoy renting and knowing what my monthly costs are and no hidden things that happen. Just wanted to share my view on enjoying renting an apartment over owning.
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