Summary: Finally, a real estate reality check that cuts through all the biased rhetoric to answer the conundrum on everyone’s mind: Should I buy now or keep renting? The magnitude of the housing crash and constantly conflicting reporting have left prospective buyers hungry for a well-researched reference guide. Enter Rent vs. Own, the first real estate advice book not to assume buying is always best. Expert finance and real estate reporter Jane Hodges explains how the housing market works and breaks down all the pros and cons of buying and renting. With dozens of success stories and cautionary tales from real-life renters and owners all over the country, this indispensable decision-making manual gives confused consumers the tools to make the best choice for their budget, market, emotional needs, and future. Jane Hodges is a longtime business and real estate writer based in Seattle. She’s interested in how and why we as individuals and as a culture look at our housing choices and the social, emotional, and financial values we assign to our homes. Her work on residential and commercial real estate has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC.com, The Seattle Times, Seattle Magazine, Seattle Weekly, Real Estate Forum, CBS’s BNET, AOL HousingWatch, HouseLogic and USA Today. Her work on business has appeared in The New York Times, Business 2.0, Fortune, Success, and many other national and regional publications. The National Association of Real Estate Editors has twice awarded her for her real estate coverage, and The Society of Professional Journalists Northwest Chapter awarded her first place for best consumer reporting in 2009. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College. . http://www.rentvsown.net
