Somewhere in Kennesaw or Marietta right now, a house is listed with a loan attached to it at 3.25%, while new buyers are quoted well over 7%. That loan doesn't have to disappear at closing. Assuming it instead of financing new can save you hundreds a month, but the process has real qualifying hurdles and an upfront cost most buyers don't see coming.

When California, New York, or Florida transplants land in Marietta, they usually assume renting is the safer bet while they get their footing. But Cobb County's price-to-rent ratio tells a different story than the coastal markets they're used to. Here's what the actual monthly numbers look like on a $364,000 home right now.