Rent vs Own…which is better?

Rising house prices could make you rethink buying a home.. Could renting be better today?  With the average home price in Toronto around $500k and the National average at $356k, renting might look more attractive.  And for certain situations, like short-term accommodations and retirement living, it does make sense.  But I’m not convinced that renting is right for most of us.

Some simple rules of thumb to remember when buying real estate:

• you should plan on owning the home for at least 7 years.  This will amortize or spread out any associated expenses with the purchase or sale of your home.
• buying for investment should be a long term play.. again, 7 years is usually long enough to take us through any economic cycle of ups and downs.
• forgot buying for a quick flip.  Unless you are a professional renovator with a deep pockets, don’t try to imitate people on HGTV (yes, it’s another 4 letter word we shouldn’t repeat in public).
• don’t buy at your maximum debt servicing ratios…. stretching yourself thin when interest rates are at record lows isn’t smart.
• speaking of interest rates…. make sure to qualify yourself with an interest rate of 5.00% or higher.. this is a more realistic rate than today’s 3.09%… just plan for rates to go up… when they do, you’ll be prepared…
• we won’t get into buying a rental property here… it requires more explanation.. but for many, it’s an even better investment than buying your principal residence… a topic we will discuss at a later date.

Type in Rent vs Own or Rent vs Buy on google, and you’ll find several recent articles on the subject.   This one, from the Financial Post, stood out…. it’s against owning.   The article explains that you will be better off, financially, if you rent…  They even give an online calculator to prove the point…. Okay, let’s take a closer look at this calculator…   Ah, there’s where we have a difference of opinion…. Their calculator assumes you can earn an annual 7.00% Return on Investment outside of Real Estate…   And they are using annual house appreciation rate of 2.00%.

Hmmm, how many people have made an average annual return of 7.00% in stocks, bond, mutual funds over the past 5, 10, 15 or 20 years???   Most the people I know are still looking to match the stock market highs of 2000 or recover their investments from the 2008 crash.    And using a 2.00% annual appreciation rate for real estate?  Come on, let’s get real!   Try typing in more realistic numbers like 5.00% investment return and 5.00% house appreciation and see what you get…   And that 5.00% investment return is being generous.    Real Estate becomes the winning choice…

We also have to factor in the intangibles.   Not having to worry about moving because your landlord is selling… and not having to move the kids…. and just plain pride of ownership… There is something to be said for owning your home..  People tend to care a little more about the home they own.

Here’s another article from the Globe and Mail that isn’t against owning but is advocating you save up a larger down payment.   I like the philosophy.   Wait and save… but don’t wait for house prices to go down… that just hasn’t worked… Timing the market is always a tough thing to do…So even if house prices fall over the next few years, you’ll probably end up spending more on your mortgage as these record low interest rates are expected to go up over the next few years..    Here’s a calculator I found through The Star’s Moneyville.   I typed in some numbers using today’s averages… rents, house price, mortgage rate, inflation rate, etc…. the results showed buying would save you over $400,000 over a 25 year period.    Try it out.. see how it would fit your situation.

Let me know when I can help.

Steve Garganis steve@mortgagenow.ca

416 224 0114