> interest payments from the mortgage can be directly compared with rent, but not the principle repayment portion of the mortgage. You keep saying this but my

> interest payments from the mortgage can be directly compared with rent, but not the principle repayment portion of the mortgage. You keep saying this but my mortgage payment for the past six years has been 0. And when I had a mortgage the payment always was comparable with the rent I was paying on a 2 bedroom apartment before buying the house. That apartment would never accommodate my family of four. If renting works for you that's great, keep renting. But don't pretend it's because it is somehow cheaper than owning - it's not.