Year by year
| Year | Renting | Buying, then selling | Buying is ahead by |
|---|
How to read it
Renting costs you the rent. Owning costs you the payments, upkeep, and what it takes to sell, and gives you back whatever equity you walk away with. Early on, selling costs eat the equity, so renting wins. The longer you stay, the more the loan pays down and the further buying pulls ahead.
Selling is not the only exit. A lot of Fort Sill families keep the house and rent it out when they PCS. The line under the numbers shows what that would look like the month you leave. The page on keeping the house when you PCS covers the rest.
The payment includes Lawton property tax and insurance and stays flat. Tax benefits are left out. This is a planning tool. It cannot tell you what a house will be worth.
Common questions
Should I buy or rent at Fort Sill?
It depends on how long you will be here and what you do with the house when you leave. Buying and then selling inside two or three years is tight, because selling costs eat the equity. Staying longer, or keeping the house as a rental, changes the math.
How much is rent near Fort Sill?
A single-family house in Lawton rents for somewhere around $1,200 to $1,300 a month. Citywide averages run lower because they count apartments, and most military families here rent houses.
How long do you need to stay for buying to make sense?
Put your numbers in above. The break-even year moves with the rent, the price, the rate, and how fast values rise. At today's rates it often takes several years if you sell, which is why what you do with the house when you leave matters as much as the price.