Should You Rent or Buy Right Now?

Four questions. A straight answer. And if the answer is not yet, a plan for getting there.

Before you start

You will know in about two minutes whether buying makes sense for you right now. If it does not, you will know exactly what to work on first.

Here is what you may not realize.

A lender tells you what you can borrow. Nobody tells you what you can live on. That is the gap this closes.

Be honest. Nobody is grading this.

Question 1 of 4

Do you see yourself staying in this area at least 5 to 7 years?

Think about your job, your family and where your kids go to school. Where will you probably be?

Question 2 of 4

After your down payment and closing costs, would you still have savings left over?

Not your retirement account. Cash you could reach this week if the car died or your hours got cut.

Question 3 of 4

Does the payment fit the life you actually want?

Not what a lender says you can borrow. What you can live on, with room left for the stuff that makes life good.

Question 4 of 4

Can you set aside about 1% of the home's price every year for upkeep?

On a $350,000 home, that is $3,500 a year, or about $290 a month, waiting for the furnace, the roof and the water heater.

Your result

Thinking bigger? ▼

Some people buy, live in it a few years, then move out and keep it as a rental. That is a move-on renter. Others buy a 2 to 4 unit, live in one, and let the rent cover part of the payment. That is a house hacker.

Both are running a small business, so plan them that way.

Sell vs Keep-as-a-Rental →

Take this with you.

Get the printable one-pager: the tree and what to do next for every result on the front, and a worksheet for your own numbers on the back. Then you will get one email a month with your next step, so when you are ready, you are actually ready.

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Your information is used to send your roadmap and follow up if you want it. We never sell your data.

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Real Estate | Mortgage | Life Insurance | Financial Literacy

Educational tool only. Not financial, lending, real estate, tax, or legal advice. Real estate brokerage through Real Broker, LLC (IL Lic #475.164962). Mortgage services through NEXA Mortgage, LLC, NMLS #1660690, Brian Wittman NMLS #2646598, AZBK #2006218, Equal Housing Lender. Insurance services through Levinson & Associates. Figures are illustrative, based on the inputs you provide and general planning guidelines, and are not a quote or an approval. Full disclosures at bluejeanbroker.com/disclosures.