Weddingbee boards

We're looking for a place to live. It's hard to stomach that we could pay cheaper mortgage + taxes than rent, but we're not ready to buy. The price of rent is a crime, especially since we live in a rural area. I expect these sorts of costs in a more suburban/urban area, but a lot of these places are just old houses that have been turned into apartments. Not even nicely maintained complexes or anything. And the few I have contacted have had poor communication. All around frustrating. There is a small state university not far from here, and there is all this nice new construction for the students but it's hard to find a decent apartment as a regular townsperson! And don't even get me started on pet policies. I have known quite a few very poorly behaved (and LOUD) dogs under 25 lbs, but my spayed, exceptionally well trained, lab who does not bark gets turned away.

Between the limited availability, no pets, and the ridiculous prices, we'll be stuck living with my in-laws until we do buy a house. Sigh.

@Mrs.Estep: We have already started saving for a down payment, and I feel good about where we are at. If DH gets a job that he just applied for, we could look to buy by next fall! I have honestly already had the thought that we should just buy some fixer upper right now, save ourselves the rent money, and then rent it out for college housing when we do buy a more permanent place of our own. I'm talking like a $300 mortgage payment on some of these places. It sure wouldn't be luxury, but it would make sense. And yet it seems totally crazy, too.

@MrsSl82be: When I say we're rural, I mean outside of town there are acres and acres of farm land. There really isn't availability. We're willing to move a few towns over, but since I have an hour and half commute to grad school the way it is, we can only move west. Any further east, north, or south would make my commute unbearable, really.