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How long are you planning on staying? If it is short term I would be inclined to save the money. A baby doesn't get full use of amenities for a while. My son is almost 14 months and doesn't notice our lack of yard at all. If it was long term I would take the nicer place.

Less money on rent to save for a down payment. The sooner you buy, the better it is in the long run. Small sacrifice now for a payoff later.

I'm all about saving money. I'd go with the smaller place.

I remember trying to make a similar decision - two apartments, one was substantially nicer than the other, and the diff was about $200. We ended up going with the not as nice (but still decent! Clean, safe, etc) apt and put aside $200/ month into a Separate savings. We used it towards our home purchase later was a great decision- I'm so glad we went with the cheaper place.

We actually just made this decision. Down payments are so high here that $4k over a year really isnt going to make that much of a dent. We wanted to finally get a place we really wanted and not just "settle." But we will be living there for easily several years so thar factored in as well.

When we first moved to DMV, we lived in a nice city a mile or so outside of the district, but an old building. It was $1700 including all utilities for 1BR/1Bath & had beautiful hardwoods. Unfortunately, that's where the "nice" ended! Sure, we saved about $400 extra a month, but the building had not been well-maintained. When it rained, it rained in the apt, and all the maintenance did was literally paint over it. They were always making us vacate to spray the building for bugs (which did nothing btw), constantly turning the water off for the entire day, and safety was a concern (three people were broken into on my floor alone. Including my neighbor being broken into, while I was home studying for the bar). We broke our lease, and moved to a new building in another suburb. Now we pay $2125 for 1BR/1Bath, and it doesn't have hardwoods. I've never had to have my apt sprayed for bugs, it is super safe requiring a key fob that only takes you to your floor, concierge, and my water has never been turned off! I'm not saying a cheaper place will have all of those problems, but when my co-workers say I'm crazy for paying so much, I tell them my peace of mind, and cleanliness is worth it. We find savings in other ways (stop eating out so much!)

Definitely save the money! 1-2 years isn't that long and $7200 to spend on rent is a lot of money you'll never see again! If you save that Money for a down payment, that's equity in your home that you'll definitely see again and it could even grow if the housing market appreciates!

I guess it depends on how long you are planning to be there...but if it were me I would go for the nicer place. I'm a SAHM so we are home a lot and that would be important for me.

I'd pick the cheaper option, and I always have. The main things I don't compromise on are 1) location, and 2) safety. Then the difference goes into an investment account or a retirement account.

The only thing I'd say about your situation is that 3BR is nice, but 1BA might be a little tough, depending on how you live (i.e., do you all need to get ready to go at the same time in the morning?). We had a 1BR/1BA when LO was a newborn, and it was doable, but now that he's a bit older, I'm glad we have 2 bathrooms.

Also, what kind of rental in a market where a house is a closely-priced option only has a washer/dryer hookup? I might keep looking unless that's standard in your area.

For the cheaper option will you need to buy a lawn mower and a washer and dryer?

I would probably go with the cheaper option. Will you guys have to take care of the shared yard or does the landlord take care of it? What is the laundry setup like? We rented an apartment that had W/D hookups, but if we had full size appliances we wouldn't have been able to open the oven fully unless they were stacked.

Depending on the timeline for home purchase, I would make the sacrifice and save more faster. However, if it was another 5 years, then I'd go with the nicer rental.

Absolutely save the money, especially if its just for 1-2 years.

As long as both are clean and safe I would go with the cheaper option.

we were in a similar situation, we choose to go cheaper so we can save for an apartment. a year later after going for the cheaper place, we are in contract for an apartment.

If its temporary then go for cheaper. Your LO will not really use the backyard for the first year.

If you have a pretty good idea of when you want to purchase a house, I would go for cheaper rent. We lived in a less than ideal place for 3 years so that we could save money for a down payment and I have no regrets.