> It's a good investment because it reduces your lifetime housing cost to zero I think that depends on your definition of good. If you put the money you would

> It's a good investment because it reduces your lifetime housing cost to zero I think that depends on your definition of good. If you put the money you would have used for your down payment and what you would save by renting vs owning towards the s&p500 by the end of the 30 years your investment's yearly growth is more than your yearly rent. Of course, lowering your expenses is less risky than growing your investments while keeping expenses the same so it's not a completely objective decision. The biggest problem with this strategy is that most people end up having lifestyle creep and do not save as much if they rent vs being forced to save via a mortgage.