I totally agree. I just moved my family of 4 to the Bay Area and we chose to just buy outright, despite the huge sticker shock and more limited availability. T

I totally agree. I just moved my family of 4 to the Bay Area and we chose to just buy outright, despite the huge sticker shock and more limited availability. To meet our needs (space + good schools + public transit commutes to SF) we were looking at upwards of $4K/month to rent a dilapidated shack where we'd likely have to give up our family dog to qualify as renters. And then be subject to 4-5% increases per year from the landlords. Paying an extra $1K/month and getting both the mortgage interest deduction + property tax deduction made far more financial sense. And we actually got more choices in terms of better quality housing for our family.