Everyone needs somewhere to live, and Americans who don’t buy their living space will rent it. Both options may be attractive to someone looking for their next living space, though that person’s finances and lifestyle may make one option more practical and appealing than the other. Between renting and owning a living space, neither option is “better” than the other as a whole, but a person should turn to a real estate company all the same to find out what’s available in their area, and that may influence their decision. In other cases, the person will already know if they want to buy a house or condo or rent an apartment or town home or duplex, and apartments for rent may be easily found and explored. Real estate agents can go a long way toward helping their clients find their next living space. How might this play out?
Buying a House
As expected, this is a complex undertaking that involves a lot of paperwork and money, but it does not have to be intimidating. Someone looking for a house may divide this effort into a few phases, and enlist the aid of a real estate agent to find nearby properties in their price range. Such a real estate agent may also be asked to find a property suitable for the client’s needs on a house’s rooms, its location, and even the status of its yards. A married couple with four children will have different needs than two newlyweds with no children yet, after all. Someone looking for a great new home will look up local real estate companies in their area and work with an agent, and browse some options.
There is a popular saying in real estate that the three top priorities are “location, location, location.” This is not literally true, but the point stands that location is critical. Some home seekers are moving because they got a new job and need a residence close to that job, so the home buyer will ask their agent to find a house reasonably close to their new job. In other cases, a family will want a property close to features such as parks, shopping malls, schools, a cinema, and more. And as expected, properties close to such features and busy areas may prove more costly, but home seekers will take that into account and determine what’s best for them.
The house itself should be inspected and toured, too. A house will have an online listing complete with external and internal photos, price, number and type of rooms, and other important information, but there’s no substitute for visiting in person. With a real estate agent as a chaperone, the home buyer will visit the property and carefully look over its interior and exterior alike. This allows them to find any problems such as creaking floors, busted wall sockets, termite damage, drywall water damage, and much more.
Rent a Space
Many Americans rent their living spaces instead, and they too will make good use of real estate agents to find the perfect place for them. There may be some ongoing jokes that renters are desperate and will take any place with four walls and a roof, but this is hardly true. Many potential renters are careful about where they choose to rent a space, and like home seekers, they will find local places online close to desired features and visit them in person. Here again, the person may look for any damage or other unpleasant surprises that wouldn’t appear on the real estate listing online. More positively, the potential renter may find a well maintained and pleasant exterior of the building, and also find attractions such as a pool, juice bar, free WiFi, and others. This will vary from place to place, but good landlords will work hard to make their property appealing both inside and out.
Who rents? Some Americans have a fleeting lifestyle that makes home ownership impractical, so they can simply allow their current lease to expire, then easily leave. In other cases, young adults who can’t afford a house will rent their living space, often college students. Apartments near campus are a fine alternative to expensive and crowded dorms on the actual college campus.