<prompt> Human: Im a high school teacher in Chicago with my wife... Also a teacher. We like the idea of getting completely away during the summer and have thought about getting a condo in LA. Now, the issue is we would only be there 3 months a year. Would it just be smarter to find a house to rent during the summer months? Can anyone point me in the direction of an article that goes over the pros and cons of both? I tried searching, but I couldnt find much.  <response>: Fellow teacher here. We looked into it quite seriously this summer. The last 5 years weve gone back to the same town and honed in on specific neighborhoods. Ran the numbers with a bunch of possible properties if wed bought, then compared that with what we normally spend every year renting. The numbers dont lie: renting was far more economical. 