[jakeogh]

Why rent? You are paying that money anyway. Get a FHA loan. You could be on the other side of that equation.

Sure it seems bad for you, but in actual fact, the place you are living has gone up in value. That's unambiguously a good thing.

[SeanAppleby]

That is not unambiguously a good thing. That's a bad thing. Think about it.

Housing is considered a good investment because it consistently has gone up in cost faster than the rest of the economy.

As this continues housing becomes more expensive relative to median purchasing power.

Unless housing becomes a bad investment, it will by definition continue to be something that a smaller percentage of people can afford over time.

We would be better off if housing became a consumption good/commodity that by default stayed roughly the same price in real dollars forever, since that's the only way housing can stay accessible to average people indefinitely.

[Buttons840]

It's the same apartment.

The apartment is increasing in value.

I understand the economics of how this can happen, but I'm not becoming any more optimistic while trying to reconcile these two facts.