Is Renting Before Buying a Home in New Orleans a Good Idea?
- Elisa Cool Murphy
- Jun 16
- 5 min read
Spoiler: Not always. And here’s why.
I’m not a try-before-you-buy kind of person.
It’s not that I rush into things. I take my time. I observe. I look for patterns and feelings, and signs. But once I know something? I know. I choose, and I act. That part has always come naturally—and it’s served me well.
I spent years in New York City chasing the kind of belonging that never quite came to me. I loved it, deeply. It felt like an intense, brilliant, unreciprocated romance. A thrilling, dizzying place that sharpened me and stretched me—but it wasn’t built for forever.
Every time I traveled for work (25 times a year, give or take), I’d stay in Airbnbs and pull up the Zillow listing while lying in bed. Dreaming. Running the numbers. Imagining a different life in each space. I didn’t know yet where I was heading, but I knew I was looking.
And then New Orleans happened. Not because she was new to me or exotic.
I found New Orleans familiar because it was a return to family roots I didn’t know I needed.
Everyone has their own reason—that feeling like they’ve lived here in a past life. And when I hear that, I respect it. Because I know what they mean. It feels like a place that knows you.
So I spent that weekend going to open houses instead of brunch, museums, or bars. I met a realtor. And four months later, I was closing on a home—almost sight unseen. I flew in the day before closing to see it in person for the first time. Fell head over heels. Closed. Quit my job. Packed up my life and moved.
Three months later, I met my husband. On Tinder.
And New Orleans? She’s been sending me signs ever since.
Would life have looked different if I’d rented for a year? Absolutely. But I didn’t need to date the city. I already knew she was the one.
Why It Makes Sense to Rent Before You Buy (On Paper)
Let’s start with the practical argument for renting first. Because honestly? There are some really sensible reasons to try it out.
Why People Say "Rent First, Buy Later" Makes Sense:
You get to know the neighborhoods. New Orleans isn’t just one city—it’s a collection of micro-neighborhoods with wildly different personalities. A few blocks can change everything.
You learn about seasonal quirks. Summer humidity, hurricane prep, parade routes, termite swarms, flood zones—this city has layers that take time to learn.
You get clarity on your lifestyle. Do you want to walk to the corner store or have space for gardening? Live in the thick of it, or somewhere that stays quiet after 8 p.m.?
You can save more money. If you're coming from a higher cost of living, renting may give you time to save and understand the market’s quirks before diving in.
You might change your mind. Maybe you love visiting New Orleans, but living here isn’t quite what you thought. Renting gives you an exit strategy.
All of that sounds smart. On paper.
Why Renting First Might Be a Big Mistake in New Orleans
New Orleans isn’t a city like any other on paper.
This is the northernmost island in the Caribbean; sun-drenched, slow-sipped, saturated with magic and contradiction. Renting here isn’t like renting in suburban Omaha. It’s a city that throws you a welcome party… and doesn’t stop.
So if you rent to “test it out,” what you’re really testing is vacation mode. You get one hell of a test drive—but it’s not the real deal.
The year flies by, and you’re still unsure.
People think time brings clarity. But 12 months of parades, out-of-town guests, and too many late dinners doesn’t always bring direction—it brings confusion.
You either spend a year in limbo, spending thousands on rent, or you decide early and end up stuck navigating whether or not you can escape your lease.
You live the version of New Orleans built for guests.
Everyone under the sun will visit you that first year. It’s thrilling—and exhausting. Bourbon Street, then aggressively not Bourbon Street. Bouncing from fest to fest, happy hour to happy hour. But that’s not real life here. And it’s not how you get to know her.
You never have to commit—so you don’t.
Renting keeps the stakes low. And when the stakes are low, you don’t pivot. You don’t grow. You don’t invest emotionally. It’s a friends-with-benefits arrangement, not a committed relationship.
And that means you miss the magic:
The neighbors who knock when your porch light’s been on too long.
The quiet second line on your block that no one advertised.
The corner store potluck for Miss Loretta’s retirement.
Those aren’t things you find in your first year. They find you when you stay long enough to be found.
Renting isn’t neutral—it shapes your choices.
You might pick a place near the action instead of where you'd want to build a life. You don’t make decisions like someone who’s staying. You make them like someone who’s passing through.
And if you’re honest with yourself... You don’t really get to know her. You’re just dating the city for a little while.
So What Should You Do Instead?
If New Orleans is calling to you, come. Spend time here. Walk the neighborhoods. Linger in the places that stir something. Let the city whisper to you; because she will.
But don’t assume that renting for a year will give you clarity. For many, it just delays the decision and dilutes the experience.
Here’s what I recommend:
Option One: Find a launch pad.
Book a short-term stay—long enough to breathe, short enough to stay focused. Use it as a base to tour open houses, talk to neighbors, and get an honest assessment of what life here could look like.
Option Two: Dive in and buy.
It’s what I did. I felt it in my gut and chose to act on it. That decision changed everything. And, I've never regretted the plunge.
Either of these will push you to get serious about getting serious. They’re both ways of saying: I’m not here to date New Orleans. They’re both ways of saying: I’m not here to date New Orleans. I want her to be the one.
We’re Not Just Agents—We’re Matchmakers.
Our job isn’t just helping people buy houses. It’s helping people find home.
We’re here to help you figure out if New Orleans is your fit, and if so, to help you make it real.
If New Orleans is tugging at you… Call us. Let’s make this official.
Voted Neighborhood Favorite by Nextdoor three years in a row, Cool Murphy Real Estate is a top-producing, licensed real estate team based in New Orleans, brokered by Cool Murphy, LLC.
Celebrated for her next-level creative approach to real estate, Elisa Cool Murphy is an award-winning, top-performing real estate broker in New Orleans and the founder of Cool Murphy Real Estate.
Contact Her -
email: cool@coolmurphy.com
Facebook: @homeinneworleans
IG: @coolmurphynola
YouTube: @coolmurphynola
phone: 504-321-3194
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