I am trying to make a decision. curious about your thoughts on my personal situation, and what you think in general. or your own stories if you have anything relevant…
Live within your means.
It depends on where your priorities are. For me i would go for cheap\shitty place so long as it was safe enough and i wasn’t going to be robbed all the time. Save the money and then go buy a place you really like when you can afford it better.
so long as it was safe enough and i wasn’t going to be robbed all the time
Want to emphasize this. You end up losing based on stolen goods or physical harm.
Renting: cheaper is almost always better.
Purchasing: it can make sense to get the nicest place you can afford, with the expectation that your pay will increase but your mortgage won’t.
I would argue living below your means is always better. Getting a cheap mortgage you can add an extra $100 or $200 a month to for the first five years makes a TREMENDOUS difference in how much interest you pay over the life of the mortgage and how soon you own it. The first five years of a mortgage are so important, all your payments go to interest. I’ve turned all my 30 mortgages into 15-20 year mortgages by over payments and it’s served me extremely well.
Whatever you do don’t spend the limit of what you can afford, you will be struggling constantly.
One is 40% of your income, the other is just plain inconvenient. I think you ought to look at a few more options.