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Renting an Apartment
Renting an apartment isn't as much work as buying a home because you don't have to use a mortgage calculator or figure out your debt to income ratio. However, it's still a lot of work and you'll need to do some research before just jumping into it. The landlord will still do a credit check on you to make sure you cn afford the monthly payment but it's minor compared to the buying process. You still want to be very careful about getting in over your head so make sure you account for all of your spending money, and try to allow yourself to save some money at the end of each month. Living more comfortable with a smaller apartment is better than living check to check in a bigger apartment.
Sometimes people use every last dollar they have just to buy a home because they think it's the best idea. Says who? Is it better for you, personally, to rent or buy? You could own a home for 3 years and still have spent more then you would if you were renting for those 3 years instead. Even though you're paying down the principal it's not enough compared to the interest, taxes, insurance and condo fee. The higher the interest rates are the worse it is.
If your plan is to buy a home, make sure you know why. Make sure you write all the numbers down and see how long you have to stay there and how much principal you should be paying down to have made it worth you while to buy instead of rent. If you decide that you aren't going to pay down principal, that's fine, but make sure you account for that and "actually" find the best deal for your situation. If you think it's going to be a little tight on money then trying buying a place on your own and renting out a spare room to your friend or family member. Make sure you can afford it alone if you need to though! If your roommate has to leave for some reason sn you're stuck there by yourself for a couple months you want to make sure you're not going to get into a jam.
You could also rent with another person and be roommates as a way to save money. Sometimes it's hard to find a good roommate so be careful because you don't want to lose a friendship over it. Be considerate because it's a difficult adjustment for both of you and you'll both need to bend a little sometimes. | 
