Looking for a new home? Exciting! But what's the best option for you – buying or renting? Here's a comparison.

Renting might be the obvious solution in your situation. Especially if you don't have a lot of savings to fall back on. If you rent a home, you just pay the monthly rent and charges. The landlord has to pay for any major maintenance. That gives you more scope to save for later. Or to spend your money on something else.

Tenants don't have to worry about costly insurance. Those costs are low: you only have to budget for your fire insurance and family insurance. What about insuring the property itself? The landlord takes care of that. Renting gives you a great deal of freedom. You can move without too much hassle if a new opportunity arises.

Some people would rather not rent. They think it's 'pouring money down the drain' to pay for a home that doesn't belong to them. It's almost impossible to make major alterations to a rented home. You have to rely on the landlord. Remember that you have to return the home to them in its original condition at the end of the lease. Awkward if you have to drill into the wall to put up decorations, for instance.

The freedom of renting works the other way too: if the landlord suddenly decides to sell your rented home, you have to look for a new place. Do those disadvantages matter to you? If so, buying might be a better option.

It always makes sense to compare the two options. In some cases, there are simply more advantages to buying. For a little extra financial security, you can always take out a home loan. Tip: simulate your home project here and see how much it'll cost you. (link onder imported websites bijvoegen)

If you buy a house, you have to pay registration duties (stamp duty). The amount depends which region you live in. And each region also offers a number of exemptions. Ask your notary public what the precise charges are. Or you can get more info on www.premiezoeker.be.

When you buy a house, you can do as much rebuilding and renovation work as you want. That will raise the value of your property, which will bring you a tidy profit when you decide to sell your pad!

Compare monthly home loan repayments and the monthly rent you'll pay. If you buy, you'll also have other expenses like the annual rates bill (property tax).