• automattable@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    In high CoL places, rent is routinely much lower than a mortgage— not to even mention the incredible down payment that you have to get the loan in the first place.

    As an example, a one bedroom apartment in SF would cost you around $1,000,000 to buy. If you somehow have $200k to get a mortgage, your monthly payment is about $6k. To rent that same apartment, you’d only (lol, only) pay ~$3000-4500.

    On top of this, the cost of owning is higher than just your mortgage payment. Your lender will most likely require homeowners insurance which can easily run a few thousand dollars per year (compared to a couple hundred for renters insurance). You also have to pay for the big repairs yourself when as a renter if the heat breaks that’s the landlord’s problem.

    • yaaaaayPancakes@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      This is me. I live in LA, near Hollywood. I pay 3k/month in rent for a 1200sq ft 2br apartment that’s close to everything.

      A condo similar to my apartment (it was a condo conversion of a building similar to mine) in my neighborhood sold for almost a million this past year. That’s about 6k/month all in w/ taxes and whatnot, not including maintenance costs.

      Why the fuck would I pay double to own the same thing, and lose all my flexibility, when I take that 3k difference every month and invest it. Which builds wealth too. Sure, my investments may not be as inflation protected as a home, but they’re a lot more fucking liquid. And I can move in 30 days no unsold house hanging over my head.