Buying a Home or Renting

The task

Do you think buying a home is better than renting?

• Decide yes or no and give your opinion.
• Explain your reasons.

Original CELPIP-style practice question, not an official CELPIP test item. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Paragon Testing Enterprises. The CLB level of each sample answer was reviewed by a TESOL-certified instructor. It is not an official CELPIP score.

Preparation

30 seconds

Speaking time

90 seconds

Question

6 of 10

Yes, I think buying is better. When you rent, every month the money go to the landlord, and after you have nothing. But when you buy, it's like saving, slowly the house become yours. Also it's your own place. You can paint the walls, you can have a dog, nobody tell you to leave. My friend, she was renting, then the owner sold the building and she must move in one month. Very stressful for her. She cried on the phone with me. Of course, now the houses are so expensive, not everybody can buy. But if you can... buying is better, for sure.

Why this answer works

• Content/Coherence: two plain reasons (building savings, control over the home) and a brief example; the ending repeats the answer.
• Vocabulary: simple words; "it's like saving" is clear but basic.
• Listenability: a hesitation ("if you can... buying"), a fragment ("Very stressful for her.") and slips such as "the money go" and "she must move" (tense); easy to follow.
• Task Fulfillment: a clear yes with a short nod to cost.

No, I don't think buying is always better. For a lot of people, renting makes more sense. First, it keeps you flexible. Two years after my partner and I moved to Halifax, she got a job offer in Calgary, and because we were renting, we gave two months' notice and left. If we'd owned a house, we'd have had to sell it first. That could take months, and we'd have missed the job. Second, when you rent, repairs aren't your problem. Last January our water heater broke, and the landlord replaced it the next day; we didn't pay a cent. If we'd owned the place, that would've been our weekend and our money. And third, the money you'd use for a down payment doesn't disappear; you can save or invest it. Buying does give you stability, and that's a real advantage for families. But it isn't better for everyone.

Why this answer works

• Content/Coherence: three reasons with specific examples (the move to Calgary, the water heater) and a short counterpoint about stability.
• Vocabulary: "keeps you flexible", "gave two months' notice" and "down payment" are accurate.
• Listenability: "If we'd owned a house" and "If we'd owned the place" repeat the same frame, so the listener hears each contrast clearly.
• Task Fulfillment: a clear no to the question asked, kept consistent to the end.

Yes, I do, and I'd still say so after watching it go wrong for someone in my own family. The usual case for renting is flexibility, and it's a fair point. My cousin bought a condo, got transferred eighteen months later and lost money once the selling costs were paid; he'd have been better off renting. But I'd argue that's a warning about timing, not about owning. My aunt bought a small townhouse twenty-two years ago, and today her monthly costs are lower than what her neighbours pay in rent. She's painted every room twice without asking anyone. More importantly, nobody can sell the place out from under her or refuse to fix the heating. That kind of security is hard to put a price on, especially once you have kids or you're getting older. So my advice is to buy, but only once you're reasonably confident you'll stay put for years. Anyone who isn't there yet should keep renting until they are.

Why this answer works

• Content/Coherence: a flat yes in the first sentence, then the strongest objection (flexibility) answered with two contrasting family examples and a clear condition about timing.
• Vocabulary: "a warning about timing, not about owning", "out from under her" and "hard to put a price on" are idiomatic and precise.
• Listenability: each family story gets its own sentences, and "More importantly" marks the point the speaker wants remembered.
• Task Fulfillment: answers the question directly, keeps the yes to the end, and says exactly who should wait.