I understand you very well. I already bought my own house a few years ago. But I remember this long process, and I would like to give you some advice. Be careful what company you deal with. I was 23 years old, and I moved to another country, but I already had another house in the mortgage. The company I turned to refused to contact me, so I had to do reverse mortgage refinancing with a company recommended by several acquaintances. Now I do not regret it because I have solved everything successfully. That is why I wish you much success because it is a long and complicated road.

My advice is, if you can afford to buy a place then do it. Make your own house payments, not your landlord's. Nail stuff to the walls, do little home improvement projects & make it your own space. No more worries about being evicted or having your rent raised. It's the greatest feeling.

Once you reach a certain age, buying doesn't make sense. What does a 40 year-old want with a 30-year mortgage? You'd be 70 by the time it was paid off. Renting makes more sense if you're older imo.

I currently own a nice home, but I live in a rental. I recently relocated due to a career opportunity. My house is on the market, but it seems like it's really slowed down recently. I have thought about buying another home in my new area, but my ultimate goal is to move to Colorado. So I'll be renting until that day comes because it sucks making a large mortgage payment along with paying rent. If I didn't make a decent wage I would be financially ruined.

I do both. I rented out my country property and leased a city apartment. Highly recommend. Best of both lifestyles.

I would first see what will and won't be taken care of via the association of the complex. I rent , hopefully one day ill own something. But ill see what happens

Personally, I'm a happy renter. If the roof leaks or the furnace breaks it is not coming out of my pocket. And if I want to move I am not at the mercy of the housing market.

Eh I've not bought a place yet..My life has been easy too transient.

Which is better, renting or buying?-depends on the location. in houston that area pretty well depends on the oil industry. things have been improving there lately so owning makes sense.
but i think all of texas is pretty well dependent on oil. there have been several cycles of boom & bust.
a lot also depends how secure your job is & of course interest rates. people that bought after the last financial crash in 2008 have done very well. but many people that bought in the years leading up to the crash ended up upside down.they were stuck with large mortgage payments as the value of their houses decreased.
houses are an asset that should at least keep up with the rate of inflation. but there are cycles when they go above & below that rate.