They do this because they know you don’t want to move, it’s a hassle and expensive. But if you do move, your rent will probably go back down again, especially if you’re a good negotiator.

Lost me at “buying an apartment”. From experience, condominiums combine all the worst of owning with the worst of renting. After previous experiences with them, I would not buy a condominium unit (or any housing that has a “board” or “association”) if it was $1. If someone gave me one for free, I’d put it on the…

Very important point omitted in the advantages of renting. If you are laid off, or your employer moves your job to a different location, or your employer goes bankrupt, and you are renting, you can move with little or no penalty (maybe a lost security deposit), as soon as you need to. In situations where you’re…