• PastafARRian@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 day ago

    Renting is usually cheaper than buying when you factor in all the costs of owning, depreciation, etc, importantly: assuming you invest the difference in an index fund and assuming average market conditions. It’s the opportunity cost of losing out on index fund increases, which outperform home + rent payments by several percent on average.

    Hard to retire early when you’re sagged down by a 30 year mortgage, versus the flexibility of moving to a lower cost rent situation.

    Most most importantly: I say this because I’m well off and privileged. I don’t expect most people to have the insane luxury to have this choice. To be fair, I’m much better off than if I had owned the home I currently rent. But was born into privilege. It’s not just flexibility but real returns. The home + rent went up say 7-8% after depreciation while my investments went up 10-11% in that time (YoY).

    • ngdev@lemmy.zip
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      1 day ago

      i have no idea what youre talking about depreciation for on a home, its not equipment youre writing off for tax purposes. if you mean rent went up 8% then thats even more of a reason to buy. and it sounds like you mean to say appreciation (which is basically free equity if you did own it) instead of additional money lost

      sagged down by a 30 year mortgage? you say things that just dont make sense. you can sell the house at any point. or refinance. or take out a HELOC to access some equity if you get a sub 7% rate (or cash-out refi) and toss that into an index fund. file bankruptcy if you truly cant afford it and cant sell it or rent it. you have more options that will enable you an early retirement more than just pissing it away on renting.

      you need to do some honest research about it bc everything you say is pretty uninformed sounding. and i dont really know a whole lot myself.

      • PastafARRian@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        4 hours ago

        Homes depreciate in value as they are a physical object. They also require regular maintenance. If you don’t factor these in you will just lose the money at sale time.

        I’m saying that putting the money in an index fund outperforms the opportunity cost lost by paying additional rent and not having appreciating real estate.

        Those options to exit your real estate position are expensive and drag your real return down over time, so unless you have a job so stable you’re sure you will never move, you’ll make less than you think. My numbers don’t even consider that so I’m being generous.

        Filing bankruptcy doesn’t seem like part of a sound financial plan…

        Money is not being wasted renting. You have to factor in the lost opportunity cost of investing in index funds, which are a better asset class. In reality when you own a home, you’re wasting the potential earning power of your money.

        I have passed a practice CFP exam so I’m not a professional but pretty sure I know what I’m talking about here…