Something to think about:

With a house comes more freedom,  but also more responsibility.

If you rent a house, you must take care of the yard and remove snow in the winter.  You are also responsible for garbage and the water that you use. These thing must be keep in mind when you thinking about renting a house.  If there are many roommates,the chores  and the costs can be divided up, and it is then not such a big deal.