> If you're comparing rent vs. buy, typically: 1. rent is less than a mortgage, and 2. to buy you need a substantial down payment. The "rent discount" is what y

> If you're comparing rent vs. buy, typically: 1. rent is less than a mortgage, and 2. to buy you need a substantial down payment. The "rent discount" is what you'd put in the stock market for the purposes of these comparisons. This varies by location, no doubt. My mortgage was the same monthly cost of my rent, when I bought my first house. After the tax benefits, it was less expensive, though a wash once you factored in maintenance. And it was a fixed payment, whereas the rent was increasing every year.