You have to live somewhere. The model I used for homeownership is you are paying to play: you lock up some capital for your down, and you are able to save the d

You have to live somewhere. The model I used for homeownership is you are paying to play: you lock up some capital for your down, and you are able to save the difference in principal from your mortgage. If things go well, you are leveraging your down and principal. Oh also, you get to write off your mortgage interest via taxes which is a nice tax fence if you're in a techbro tax bracket. Welfare for middle classesque people. There are tons of small benefits that come with home owning that are often ignored: rent never goes up if you didn't get an ARM, and you never have to leave because a landlord says so. Also you don't have to go to war with a landlord every year while they decide your fate (raise the rent? sell the place? change policy?). Don't like a wall? Blow it up. Want a pet? Go for it. Get five dogs whatever. Not moving every year to surf rental costs is pretty good. Appliance quality on a non-flipped property is WAY better than any rental. Negatives include: everything is now your fault/problem, and you have to be willing to sit still for a few years. Property tax sucks, but if you think you're not paying the property tax on a rental you may be bad at math. No landlord is renting AT A LOSS. All of this is of course, assuming you can afford the down in the first place and that you're not buying something that is a jumbo mortgage. NYC, SF, sorry dudes. Those places are not meant to be owned in imo. Everyone I know that lived in those places has a timer on their head, and they eventually bail to somewhere else. My track record is bought with a partner, broke up, sold, did well, rented for 2y, bought again. Your mileage may vary of course, there are no universals etc.