CaseStudy: Rent vs Own
You are considering an option to purchase or rent a singleresidential property. You can rent it for $4,000 per month and theowner would be responsible for maintenance, property insurance, andproperty taxes.
Alternatively, you can purchase this property for $300,000 andfinance it with an 80% mortgage at 7% interest, 25 year - fixed.The loan can be prepaid at any time with no penalty.
You have done research in the market and found that propertieshave historically appreciated at an annual rate of 4% per year.Rents on similar properties have also increased at the same rate.Maintenance and insurance are currently $2,500 each per year andthey have been increasing at a rate of 4% per year. Property taxeshave generally been about 3% of the property value eachyear.  Â
If you purchase, the plan is to occupy the property for at leastfour years. Selling costs would be 7% in the year of sale.
Based on this information you must decide:
- In order to earn a 10% internal rate of return, should you buythe property or rent it for a four-year period of ownership?