Is Buying a Home or Renting Right for You?

My Strong Bias: Many Homeowners Should Have Rented

So, where does this leave us in terms of practical housing advice? For one, I think that a large proportion of individuals within the population should not own a house, or they should at least push off the purchase as long as possible and, instead, rent. Anyone that followed this advice in the United States over the last few years, possibly the last few decades, would be much better off today. This is not just me being preachy or dispensing with advice that—with hindsight—proves correct. If you consider the spreading of resources over time, you can arrive at the same conclusion, but the reason is not as simple as you might think. It isn’t because housing is a “bad investment” or has performed ...