> And it allows you to lock in a monthly payment for potentially decades, which has a massive amount of value by itself. Well, that might be a good thing when

> And it allows you to lock in a monthly payment for potentially decades, which has a massive amount of value by itself. Well, that might be a good thing when house prices are appreciating at a crazy rate, but it also locks you in when the housing market and/or the economy crashes. If you're renting, you lose your job and you're stuck with your lease for maybe another six months (assuming you don't break it). Once you buy a house, you're stuck with it until you can sell it or foreclosure, even if the price goes down or you lose your job.