The way I look at it the first (and only) house we bought 25 yrs ago was not a great investment in terms of dollar returns but we love living there and tweaked

The way I look at it the first (and only) house we bought 25 yrs ago was not a great investment in terms of dollar returns but we love living there and tweaked it to be just how we want it. At this point we just pay the relatively low taxes. Now we've accumulated enough wealth that we bought a condo outright, if you're in that incredibly privileged position owning is fantastic. We use it for fun but it's also a good way to generate a steady income stream. So it's not "owning vs renting" it's whether you can afford enough of a downpayment.