“For most people yes,” says Mitch Parker, real estate investment expert. “Historically owners end up much better off financially than people who rent their whole lives. If you own a home and live there until the mortgage is paid off, even if there is no appreciation – and usually, there almost always is – you will still have an asset you own free and clear, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. If housing prices go down, you’ll only ever suffer a loss if you sell. The argument against owning is that you can pay less in rent and invest the rest, but most people are not that disciplined.”
