The people I’ve asked offline are split, so I’m trying to make the comparison more disciplined.
I can buy a comparable duplex apartment in Cairo for about EGP 41,040,000, but the mortgage, tax, maintenance and association dues would put my ongoing costs well above my current rent. Buying would build equity, yet there is a real chance I will move within five to seven years, making transaction costs and resale liquidity important.
The association fees also worry me because a duplex may mean greater maintenance and energy use, while future building repairs could raise dues if the shared reserves are inadequate. Renting preserves flexibility and shifts some of that exposure away from me, though it leaves me with rent increases and no equity.
How would you compare these options over a five-to-seven-year horizon? I’d especially value a framework that accounts for purchase and resale costs, rising building fees, insurance, vacancy or tenant demand if I later rent it out, and the management workload. Disagreement is welcome, but please explain which assumption drives your conclusion.
I can buy a comparable duplex apartment in Cairo for about EGP 41,040,000, but the mortgage, tax, maintenance and association dues would put my ongoing costs well above my current rent. Buying would build equity, yet there is a real chance I will move within five to seven years, making transaction costs and resale liquidity important.
The association fees also worry me because a duplex may mean greater maintenance and energy use, while future building repairs could raise dues if the shared reserves are inadequate. Renting preserves flexibility and shifts some of that exposure away from me, though it leaves me with rent increases and no equity.
How would you compare these options over a five-to-seven-year horizon? I’d especially value a framework that accounts for purchase and resale costs, rising building fees, insurance, vacancy or tenant demand if I later rent it out, and the management workload. Disagreement is welcome, but please explain which assumption drives your conclusion.