...and you thought Tysons had traffic now.

[Maengelito]

i think you guys are arguing for essentially the same side, just using different extremes. the correct answer is "it depends". sure, renting might be cheaper in one house over buying, but rent is essentially throwing money away because you will always need a place to live. its not like a mortgage is just a bigger payment than rent is, because you will be paying either a rent or a mortgage unless you wanna live at home and play WoW all day. *depending* on the situation, you'll probably be paying a higher monthly payment on a mortgage, and for the first couple of years it'll probably be all interest *depending* on what kind you get and you'll also have associated closing costs, inspection fees and all those other associated costs. you'll build equity eventually and your credit assuming you dont default and make payments will be very strong. besides, when buying a house, you can have renters which is essentially reducing your mortgage payment short term and if your situation allows it, you can borrow against your old house to buy a new house, and get renters for you old house to basically pay most of the mortgage. in summary, "it depends"