[quote author="BLUE FIRE" date=1223535978][quote author="Trooper" date=1223519911]That's neat Halfnote, thx. I plugged my numbers in and gave home appreciation as 3%. It said, "Buying is better than renting after 20 years"....meaning, if I bought now, it wouldn't be until 2028 that the investment made sense. Just wow.
My rent $1500
purchase price $380,000
rate 6.125
taxes 1.25
estimated average appreciation 3%</blockquote>
Yes, and it is also interesting to note how drastically the outcome changes with a change of just <strong>one</strong> percentage point in estimated average appreciation...</blockquote>
Yes, this is also why most people overpay: they believe sustainable appreciation rates are higher than they really are.