People greatly mis understand this point. Renting really is cheaper in the short term than buyng, especially if you can get a multi year lease. I’ve rented many

People greatly mis understand this point. Renting really is cheaper in the short term than buyng, especially if you can get a multi year lease. I’ve rented many single family houses in my life, and always, without fail, the rent was less than what the current mortgage (with minimal downpayment) + upkeep. This delta also tends to grow as the value of the house goes up. So a very valid strategy is to rent, and take that delta and put it in an index fund. This won’t outperform a mortgage in a very hot market, but you will still likely be able to live “rent free” after 30 years of this strategy with a 4% drawdown on just that account. The main argument I like for home ownership is that it really helps force this savings, since many have a hard time not spending money on frivolous things. That said, I finally bought the house I was renting 6 years ago. Mostly it was a hedge against raising rents. My area was seeing 10%+ yearly rent increases. So far it turned out to be a smart play, but interest rates could have gone up a couple points, and I might uave been underwater for several years.