> Why pay to rent when you could pay an equivalent mortgage? I was always under the impression that a lot of people can't scrape together the 3.5% downpayment

> Why pay to rent when you could pay an equivalent mortgage? I was always under the impression that a lot of people can't scrape together the 3.5% downpayment or don't have good enough credit. Plus, I think most landlords who rent out houses are looking for a profit. So it would theoretically always be their expenses (mortgage + taxes/insurance + some repairs) + profit, making rent the more expensive option by nature I figured.