Some days you just want to go run away to a well-insulated yurt and escape this whole system of property-based wealth acquisition.
Just me?
Alright then, let's break down some of the critical assumptions that would lead Trulia to conclude that buying a house is cheaper than renting.
First, Trulia's model assumes that you'll be in the same place for the next seven years. If you're of the millennial cohort, you're among the most likely group to change jobs and yeah, that means moving cities for a lot of us.
Next, Trulia's model assumes that a would-be homeowner can put down a 20 percent down payment on their new investment. With a median home price of $345,383 in Denver, according to Trulia, that means ponying up $69,076.68. Aside from the 68 cents, that's a significant chunk of change.
Of course, if you're if renting, then you're subject to the swings of the market. Perhaps one tiny ray of hope is that rents have decreased a whole three dollars recently.
If somehow the median price of a Denver home rises to $652,774.60 while rents stay the same, then suddenly renting becomes cheaper than owning, according to Trulia's calculations. And hey, Zillow says that Denver home values have already risen 10.4 percent year-over-year.
Perhaps it's fairest to say that it's difficult to game the system when it comes to your housing costs. After all, even yurts are expensive.
