...and you thought Tysons had traffic now.

[WRXtranceformed]

the link above takes everything you mentioned in to account. appreciation, tax breaks, etc.

Keep in mind too that a generic calculator isn't going to give you a good preview of your financial situation. You really need to sit down with a loan officer to determine whether you can afford to own a new home and whether it works for your future plans. For 95% of the people I speak with, regardless of whether they're a client of mine or not, buying is the smartest thing in the world. Especially if you have a wife or renters to go in on it with you.

As long as you have stable renters or a wifey / fiance you'll probably end up paying as much as your monthly rent for a mortgage payment plus you're enjoying the benefits of homeownership. I'm in a worse boat than all of you guys as I'm looking to put a contract down with just me carrying the payment. If I can find renters, great... if not, my goal is to be prepared for it. You won't see me ever throwing away 800+ bucks a month to rent somewhere though, I'll stick it out at home with the momdukes until (*hopefully*) the end of this year.