It's a different model, like buying groceries vs loaning money to get a farm. There are responsibilities, tied capital, operating risks that may devalue the ass

It's a different model, like buying groceries vs loaning money to get a farm. There are responsibilities, tied capital, operating risks that may devalue the asset or render it useless, liquidity and asset price risks, and known money sinks and on the upside you may have a valuable asset still on your hands when you move on or kick the bucket. And upside possibilities of course too like windfall from apprecating asset prices. The main thing that makes renting a worse deal in many jurisdictions are the tax subsidies towards home ownership and taxation of rentals, otherwise in a working market it's a little rentiers profit and a lot of risk pricing / speculation. Generally renting may take a smaller slice of your cash flow and allow you to invest the difference which will decide which will affect which scenario will come out $$ wise ahead in the endgame.