$1200 a month is a great start on a starter home mortgage.

 

what if they have no plans to stay in new england? what if they don't plan to marry

there are many pros and cons on both sides of home ownership

 

^ that is true, under the assumption of staying is where my opinion is based.

 

Just checked the other forum, Steve your right he is short term. With that known go for the cheaper Apt and save some $

[QUOTE=Scotty Dont,Mar 22 2010, 10:37 AM]We're probably only going to be in the new place for a year or two. We want to relocate to Florida once she's done with her doctorate program.

 

PM me the street in West Springfield. I may be able to help with the quality of life in the locale.
While a 20-30 minute commute sounds nice to decompress, it adds a ton of miles to the car. I did that for way too many years. I now have the 10 minute style commute and the extra time at home far outweighs the decompression time. I was routinely driving 30,000 miles annually just for work. I'm driving less than a third of that for work and fun in the S.

 

The better apartment will cost you more. More in rent, more in gas to commute, more in wear and tear on your vehicle. Commutes SUX! Do you really want to add an hour or more to your day, every day?

Surely a dishwasher can't be a deal breaker.....you'll spend less on rent, so you eat out more, no dishes!

Electric heat would be a concern though. Ask if they can show you what past tenants spent on heat.

I'd with whomever said to look for option 3.

 

I don't know if 275 is a big junk of your budget so I can't tell if it worthwhile to go for the nicer place.
However, gas heat vs electric may mean they actually cost the same per month.
I'd be real concerned about the cost of electric heat.

 

Electric resistance (baseboard) heat can be quite expensive.

 

So after mulling over the options and speaking with my girlfriend some more, we've decided to go with the apartment with the garage. The baseboard heating really is what swayed my opinion. My current apartment has baseboard and I pay out the ass for it. Plus I want a garage