But to be clear homes only build wealth because they go up in price over time right? And this is due to the limited supply of housing in particular relative to our population. Previously, I had always assumed if mortgage payments and rent were comparable, then you'd come out ahead buying. But you need a down payment, and you need to borrow money to finance the home. So the real comparison is rent + no borrowed money + investing your down payment instead. Every calculator I use to do that, its very difficult to end up with more wealth buying than renting. UNLESS the home price goes up significantly after you purchase.