To buy or not to buy?

this is a ridiculous question without context... i.e. you would need to give background info on your earnings, potential earning power in the future, savings, spouse's earnings and potential... etc... the decision is different for every person because so much of it depends on future uncertainty... a lot of people make the argument of throwing away money on rent whereas paying on a mortgage would build equity, but the opposing argument can be made about the volatility of home values and uncertainty of employment opportunities... in short, the answer to your question like so many questions in the world of finance is "it depends.."

He probably attended the same guest speaker at his local university as I did last last year. To sum up what I remember, after factoring in the amount of maintenance, time & effort, taxes, mortgages, time value of money, and random liabilites your house becomes a net liability (it continues to drain money on a regular basis and most people would be better off renting or in a codo).

I do not agree with this arguement, but I can see the logic in it. I think all Americans want to own their own home and while rent is a relatively fixed expense each month, you are building equity value over time with your mortgage. With the exception of the recent housing bubble, house prices usually rise with or faster than inflation.

http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/blog/sell-your-options-dearly-wasting-as…

I think it can be a very good idea, particularly if you know the market well... if you've got very good credit and get a low fixed rate on your mortgage it can be a particularly smart move - especially because of the associated tax deductions.

It also results in a form of forced saving, which I think is constructive.

Real estate is the best buy out there today. Buy up

This is a very bad question to ask IMO, its highly related to the exact terms of each persons situation. I would say that MANY people who buy homes would have been better off renting, had they the willingness to educate themselves about the opportunities that liquidity offers them. My opinion is not related to current or past markets, I believe that even if home prices do continually exceed the rate of inflation, there are many costs that offset the modest gain, the time value of money offsets much of the resale profit, and there are a lot of risks associated with owning a home that do not come with a term rent.

Of course I recommend buying and owning a home once you are entering your terminal setup and preparing yourself for the future is no longer a matter of clawing your way to the top and maximizing your earnings and profits... once you have a family, what you hope to be your last job, savings, everything in its place... hell yes you want your own piece of the pie. But at that point, it's not an investment.

I think what it boils down to, is once again people think of homes as a long term investment without realizing its an expensive investment to maintain and that it varies from illiquid to extremely illiquid.

I actually think owning a home is worthwhile for many lifestyle (not pure investment) reasons.

That said, I REALLY hate the argument that rent is throwing away money. What exactly, then, is paying interest to a bank or property taxes to the government?