home sweet home?

my cousin/friend/bridesmaid-in-my-wedding michelle and her husband just bought a house. they are going to be moving into the new place the end of this month. right now, they live in a cute little house in gladstone, oregon. it's a corner unit, 2-bedroom, 1 bath with a kitchen, dining area, family room, garage, front yard, fenced-in large backyard with covered patio, and off-street parking. i believe it also have laundry machines in the garage. kevin and i are thinking about trying to rent their house once they move out. there are a couple of snags we have to work through, but we're putting serious thought into this plan. the reason we have to be so smart in weighing the options is because:
1. kevin still doesn't have a job.
2. the house is about $300 more expensive per month than our apartment.
3. timing: our lease will be up in june, michelle and josh move in may.
4. options: month to month vs. minimum 6 month lease?

kevin and i have always wanted to move into a house as quickly as possible, even if it's just a rental. we need more space. our apartment is nice, but i've lived in one for the past 6 years in college - i'd like to go back to the luxury of not hearing my neighbor's toilet flush, their showering habits and the noise of the people on the floor above you. needless to say, their love-making and arguing habits ;) you also have to understand...monster is like our child. she's a very high priority to us and we want to give her a yard to play in. she's cooped up all day in this little tiny place and barely gets to be outside in the sunshine. then, the idea of leasing vs. month to month renting comes up. all the apartments we've looked at that are month to month are either really scary/dirty/stinky/sketchy, in a bad area, or just as expensive as this rental home (if not more). since we don't know what is going to happen with kevin's job, it'd be nice to have a place that is month to month. we can't afford to have to sign a lease then break it if we have to move for any future job opportunities. another nice detail is if we try it out with the more expensive payment, and we can't comfortably afford it, we can always put in our last month's notice and move to something less expensive. since my cousin lives in the house, i know about the landlords. they let them paint the walls and they aren't too demanding of their tenants. it'd be nice to "play house" without the responsibilities of a mortgage quite yet. it'd be nice to have a family room big enough to have people over. and a backyard for the monst. and especially, a backyard for the summer get-togethers and barbecues! so now...we just sit, wait and think "what to do? what to do?" any ideas? comments? concerns? we're looking for insight...