Buying a house is the largest investment most people ever make, and it’s not a decision you should enter into lightly, say personal finance experts at the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants. If you’re considering making the leap from renter to owner, there are some things you should consider.
Where you are
A 2016 study from the National Association of Realtors found that more than one-third of all homebuyers are 35 and younger. While people five or 10 years older might still be recovering from the housing crash, millennials seem ready to start a new chapter in their lives. And this group may be onto something. In 70 percent of the major markets across the nation, buying beats renting in less than two years. A Zillow analysis of rent vs. purchase costs found that it takes an average of 1.9 years to break even on a home purchase. In larger cities, you would need to live in a home for three years or more to break even on comparable rent, but that number drops to 1.5 years or less in Cleveland, San Antonio, Kansas City, Houston, Atlanta, Detroit, and Indianapolis.
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