You're only tying up 10-20% of the price of the home, and doing so at a lower rate than you could ever get for any other purpose. Also you need to factor in th

You're only tying up 10-20% of the price of the home, and doing so at a lower rate than you could ever get for any other purpose. Also you need to factor in the rent trade off, which makes it an easy decision in some markets if you have the cash. I just bought a house last year and my mortgage+instance is 300$ less a month than the cheapest apartment I could find in the same city. 1200$ less than a comparably sized apartment.