For as long as I can remember, all of the elders in my family have urged my siblings and I to save and buy our own homes. Cars and other expenses were always considered secondary to being an official homeowner, regardless of whether or not that home had to be obtained through cash or a variable-rate 30-year mortgage. My brother opted for the latter and has ended up in financial ruin after he was laid off from his job as a newspaper editor. His mortgage became too much after 10 years of the interest rate slowly climbing while his pay was continually cut, leading up to his final termination at the paper. In trying to learn from my brother’s mistakes, I decided to stick to renting homes for the foreseeable future. I have been with the same rental agency for the past 10 years and have only moved once during that time. They handle all of the maintenance and repairs for the owners who leave pretty much everything up to the agency. I have had problems with air conditioning and never had to pay a dime the four times I have needed repairs or maintenance. The rental agency even paid to have the air conditioner replaced in my old house right before I was set to move in after the old tenants moved out. They have a maintenance contract with a local heating and cooling supplier which even covers monthly filter replacements. All in all, I have many advantages renting with a reputable rental agency opposed to paying a huge mortgage. Maybe someday I will buy a house, but I’m in no hurry to take on that massive responsibility.