Buying vs. Renting

It has long been understood that owning real estate can create significant personal net worth through the accumulation of equity in one's home, and that renting tends to enrich landlords at our own expense. Despite the intense housing market volatility of late, the fundamental economic benefits to homeownership are as true today as ever before.

The Economic Trade Off:

If you rent a home for $3,000 per month, the cost of rent over thirty years will equal $1,080,000. This assumes your rent stays constant for all 30 years. Realistically, rent will get bumped by 6% per annum, (traditional CPI increase , "consumer price index"). As such, over those same 30 years, your landlord will have made in excess of $1,300,000 in rental income, and you will have nothing to show for it.

If you chose to buy a home instead, and we assume the same $3,000 monthly payment goes toward mortgage, tax, and insurance, what increases is not so much the payment, (assuming you finance the property with a "fixed rate mortgage" that caps your monthly obligation), but rather the value of your house. This leaves you with real estate equity that has accumulated over 30 years that your landlord would have otherwise pocketed.

Specifically, on a $600,000 property, the appreciation will be worth roughly $36,000 per year, ($600,000x6%), or $1,080,000 over 30 years, ($36,000x30).

Real Life Illustration:

If we buy a house for $600,000, and finance 80% of the purchase price, you will need to invest 20%, or $120,000. The mortgage's principal balance will be $480,000. The mortgage payment at 5.75% 30 Yr Fixed is $2,725, plus taxes and insurance equal a total monthly payment of $3,000. In 30 years, the property value, (assuming 6% annual CPI increases), will be worth $1,680,000. The mortgage will be paid down to $0 as the $2,725 payment included principal payments every month. This leaves you with a profit of $960,000: $1,080,000 less your $120,000 initial investment.

Big difference between renting for 30 years yielding $0, and owning for 30 ears yielding $960,000. This is just the basic math. There are plenty of intangible benefits to homeownership that will accompany your tidy profit!

The Tax Advantages:

Unfortunately, there are no tax advantages to renting.

However, if you own a home, and have a mortgage, the interest deductions can be substantial. The IRS will allow you to deduct mortgage interest, up to the first $1,000,000 of your home mortgage, from your taxable income. Using the example from above, approximately 83% of the $2,725 monthly payment is interest in the early years of a 30 year fixed rate note, ($2,261). This means that $27,141, ($2,261x12), can be deducted from your annual taxes. Assuming your in the 30% tax bracket, your tax bill will be reduced by $8,142 per year. Another way to think about this is consider it a reduction to your monthly mortgage payment, e.g. $678, ($8,142/12). So the $2,725 payment from the example above becomes $2,046 on a tax adjusted basis.

Additionally, unlike stocks that are subject to capital gains tax, investments in primary residences are not subject to capital gains tax up to $250,000 in profit for individuals, and $500,000 for married couples.

Some Reasons why Renting Might Work for You: