Renting is framed as the worse deal for most people, since a mortgage at least builds something you own.

• The advice to never buy a home is wrong — renters pay the taxes, repairs, and maintenance anyway, just through the landlord.
• If you can't afford a mortgage at a certain level, you can't afford rent at that level either.
• Rent is money gone every month; a mortgage puts part of that payment into an asset you control.
• Owning a smaller, cheaper place beats renting a nicer one.

Outlook: High interest rates keep pushing people toward renting, but the case for buying something modest still holds.