With an upsurge in the current real estate trends, more and more people are inclined to buying homes rather than renting apartments. However, there are numerous factors to consider while making the decision whether to buy a home or rent an apartment. This is because both renting and buying a home both present an array of challenges. With market prices constantly fluctuating, you can never be sure that it’s the correct time to buy a home. In order to decide the best option to take, it is paramount that we consider the pros and cons of renting an apartment vs. buying a home.

The Pros & Cons of Buying a House

It may seem as a best option for many people to buy a home. Yes that true. Even so, owning a home presents numerous challenges. Let’s take a look at both.

Pros of Buying a House

• Owning a home is a form f an investment. It provides some benefits that last long like equity, security and a greater potential t expand your wealth.
• As an investment, your home will appreciate in value over time. So you will be sure to get a profit when you finally decide to sell the house.
• After completing the transaction with the seller and signing the relevant deed forms, the home officially becomes your property. This means that you will have a greater freedom to d anything with it without any restrictions from anyone, unlike an apartment where you’ll l have constant supervision from the landlord, or noise complaints from neighbors.
• Owning a home gives you power to alter it the way you deem fit. This includes décor, landscape, and any other renovations to suit your taste and preference. This can’t be done in an apartment.
• Owning a home enables you to generate income by renting the house if you don’t want to sell the property, or renting out one or two rooms.
• As a home owner, you have the chance to impress the banks by repaying your mortgage debt on time. This ultimately increases your credit score.

Cons of Buying a House

Although it may seem a good idea to buy a house, it comes with a lot of responsibilities and disadvantages. They include;

• With huge financial responsibilities like house maintenance, utility payment and bond repayment, owning a home can be a bit expensive.
• Owning a home does not only mean that you will have to pay the agreed amount. There are hidden costs like taxes, insurance, rates and maintenance for which you as the home owner are liable to pay.
• There is a risk of getting a loss through a resale due to economic factors and the nature of the real estate market.

Pros of Renting an Apartment

• Renting an apartment allows you more flexibility especially if you don’t intend to stick to one place for long. It requires no actual commitment and you can move away whenever you feel like. This is especially ideal for people with flexible jobs and who move around a lot.
• Renting an apartment gives you an opportunity to live in a house that you couldn’t possibly afford to buy.
• There are no responsibilities attached with moving out as you will not be tasked with finding a buyer like a home owner.

Cons of Renting an Apartment

• Upon signing the lease agreement, you will be bound by all the rules thus you won’t have much freedom.
• You have no guarantee that the lease agreement will be renewed if it expires.
• You won’t have control over any rate fluctuations, unless you’re living in a rent-controlled area.

Overall, the move between an apartment and a home requires many factors to be taken into consideration. Once you’ve chosen your ideal new home, click here to hire professional movers who can make your transition as smooth as possible.

New Home Cleaning Checklist

I've moved several times in the past few years, and one thing I've learned is that it's best to clean before unpacking. In my first apartment, I decided to unpack everything first, and had to spend the next few weeks trying to move everything around and clean around things. Eventually, I ran out of motivation and never quite got everything exactly the way I wanted it.

The next time I moved, I took the time to clean as much as I could before my items arrived. This definitely made a huge difference and let me just deal with upkeep, rather than deep cleaning around all of my furniture.

Gather your supplies

Having the right supplies will make cleaning go a lot quicker. Here's what I recommend:

• All purpose cleaner
• Baking soda
• Broom
• Dishwashing soap
• Drain cleaner
• Dusting cloths
• Grease remover
• Mop
• Painter's tape
• Paper towels
• Rags
• Rubber gloves
• Shower cleaner
• Sponges
• Toilet bowl cleaner
• Toilet brush
• Trash bags
• Vacuum
• White vinegar
• Window cleaner

A few rules

Just a few things to keep in mind:

• Clean from the top down
• Perform dry cleaning before wet cleaning

Starting with the ceiling and moving down to the floors will save you a lot of repeat work. When dusting fans, light fixtures, cabinets, and other high up objects, dust and lint tend to fall in the floor. It only took me a few times of mopping first to realize that I hated discovering that I'd recreated my mess.

Similarly, dusting before mopping or wiping down cabinets will make the wet cleaning a lot less frustrating. If dust and other dry debris are not cleaned first, going after them with a mop or rag will simply smear them around and make streaks. The wet cleaning process goes a lot faster if you get rid of the dry stuff first.

Save the kitchen for last

If you're cleaning while waiting for your items to arrive, it's best to go ahead and clean the areas that will go quickly. Focus on bedrooms and your living area so that the big furniture can go where it belongs. If you're not able to get to the kitchen and bathroom before your furniture arrives, you'll be able to leave those boxes in the rooms that are clean while you finish up.

If you have a self-cleaning oven, go ahead and let it run through its cleaning cycle while you work on the other rooms. Finish up when you get to the kitchen.

Choosing an expert moving company who takes care of the driving for you allows you to take the time to make sure everything is in order with your new home before your items arrive. Take advantage of this time to set everything up the way you want it and make your new home a place you want to come home to.