At the heart of it, renting is about economy. We rent because we can't afford to buy. At some point, practical reality starts to sway us psychologically. If and when the option to buy comes, is it somehow more meaningful than a number in a bank account? What does it say about us if we choose to continue to rent when we have the means to buy?

Very few people who buy actually manage to purchase outright. We live in a culture of mortgage, broken as that culture turned out to be. Just looking at that word, it inspires us to run. Mort gage, from the Latin-informed Old French meaning literally, "Dead Pledge". It is a contract with an end in mind. Either the mortgage defaults for non-payment, or the contract is fulfilled and it ends in full ownership. In essence, a mortgage is rent with the intention to stay, whereas a lease agreement is rent with the intention to leave.

It may not be a very sunny mindset, entering every new apartment thinking, "I'm going to leave here soon," but that's exactly what you're saying with a lease. It's like starting a relationship with a pre-determined breakup date.

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So you lost your home to foreclosure and now you have to rent?  BOO-HOO-HOO!

You should rejoice!

Renting is given such a bad name and frankly, it's that mentality which contributed to the housing crisis.  If you had not bought into the belief that you HAVE to own a house, then maybe you would've stayed within your means and actually saved the money necessary for a down-payment , rather than committing to the sub-prime loan that just screwed you over!

But enough with the lectures!  It's time to look on the bright side of renting.

One of the major advantages of renting versus owning(unless of course you have loads of money) is that for the most part, you can choose where you want to live, again, so long as it's within your means.  You may not be able to afford the apartment with the sweeping views of the city, but you might be able to afford living in the neighborhood.

Another advantage to renting versus buying: if you decide the neighborhood you thought you'd love turns out to be a crack den when the sun goes down, then you can choose to move when your lease expires!  Renting offers flexibility that you don't get when you buy a home, where you are committed to the property unti

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Are you tired of renting?

Hey! Who let these people into my apartment?  It's really not as bad as it looks in the pictures, seriously, don't you know camera adds ten pounds of filth... I tried to pick up after myself honestly, but I got places to be, and who's got time to clean?  And besides, what can I say, this is what happens when the maid goes on vacation for a week... Oh wait, that's not MY apartment...Oops, my bad.

Help! My sink is overflowing, and it wasn't my fault!  I woke up this morning and my kitchen was flooded To make matters worse the landlord is out of town and the manager is nowhere to be found.  I also don't have any money for a plumber!  What am I supposed to do?  What are my rights in this case, does anyone know? Has anyone else had an experience like this?

If you're looking for a cheap home to rent in Seattle beware who you talk to. Rents in Seattle have sky-rocketed in the past few years and it's becoming harder to find a decent place for a reasonable price, so don't rush to put down a deposit on a rental that is disproportionately, cheaply priced. Duh! It is most likely a scam. One that is gaining popularity all over the country, and it's made it's way to Seattle. Read more here.

People seem to be so desperate for cheap rent that they forget to question these prospective new landlords. But seriously, how naive does one need to be to fall for this? I mean, unless you're new to the state, or the country, you have no excuse!

If a landlord is allowed to ask prospective tenants every question possible to verify their rental reliability, then a renter should feel in all his or her right to question the hell out of any prospective landlord.

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Is there anything in this modern day life that doesn't require an insurance policy anymore? Now the insurance companies are peddling renter's insurance as another must-have of civilized living. At first, I was skeptical about the whole thing, but then I remembered reading about an apartment building fire where many people lost their belongings and it got me thinking: what if that had been me?

I looked into it and it turns out renter's insurance isn't nearly as expensive as I thought it would be. It's approximately $120 a year, depending on your city, value of belongings, etc. You can shop around for the best quote, most of the big insurance companies have renter's insurance plans that cover all sorts of incidents and accidents associated with renting.

This sounds great doesn't it? So why doesn't everyone renting have insurance? It makes sense that this is something landlords should make a requirement of all their tenants. This way everyone is protected. What do you think, should renter's insurance be mandatory? Or is this just another scam from the big corporations?

We have a mold problem in our apartment. We have been waiting for 1 1/2 years for a repair, but we keep getting blown off by the owner of the building. Our rent has even increased in the meantime. What can renters do to get the necessary repairs that they need done?