Every market is different, but there is a lot of housing supply in most of the US, prices are depressed and lending rates are the lowest they'll probably ever be in our lifetime.
I have a couple friends (from our generation) who are buying up duplexes. They can live upstairs and rent the lower and nearly cover their mortgage from the rent income. They are living for free and banking the savings for the down-payment on the next duplex.
Seems incredibly smart to me. You have a generation of people who've convinced themselves not to buy a house, driving up rents and driving down home prices. You can borrow money for next to free to buy those assets and rent them.
Even if you don't want to be a landlord, you can get a mortgage payment that is less than rent. Sure you have debt, but rent is just burning money every month. Even if your home declines in value, it probably won't lose as much value as you'd have paid in rent, so you're basically breaking even.
I have a couple friends (from our generation) who are buying up duplexes. They can live upstairs and rent the lower and nearly cover their mortgage from the rent income. They are living for free and banking the savings for the down-payment on the next duplex.
Seems incredibly smart to me. You have a generation of people who've convinced themselves not to buy a house, driving up rents and driving down home prices. You can borrow money for next to free to buy those assets and rent them.
Even if you don't want to be a landlord, you can get a mortgage payment that is less than rent. Sure you have debt, but rent is just burning money every month. Even if your home declines in value, it probably won't lose as much value as you'd have paid in rent, so you're basically breaking even.