I share the feeling of security and stability that owning a home provides! But as a migrant, I must tell you that sometimes things happen that you never imagined! Like the country where your home is located, which you bought with so much effort, falling into a socialist dictatorship, leading to the total bankruptcy of the economy and the value of your home plummeting, forcing you to flee and, a few years later, having to sell it for a minimal price... more like a gift! Why are you selling it like that? Because the years go by and you realize that nothing will happen and that it's better to save some minimum value from your home! I'm grateful because I'm currently familiar with Bitcoin, and the little I was able to salvage, I invested in real value... for the future of my little ones!

I don't know if I'll buy another house in time... But I do know that the asset I'm saving will give me concrete results!

These guys are selling. They know nothing about you or your individual situation or the area and region you may be in.

You aren't wrong. There is no right or wrong here.

Here's my generic advice.

Renting is a great option if you can't afford a house. What I mean? Well, maybe you could afford a house payment but could you afford to replace your water heater if it went out? Could you afford an even bigger thing like your HVAC? Or would you be forced into high interest rate credit card debt to fix it. When you buy a home you are responsible for all the work. A home is not an investment. It costs money to live in it beyond your monthly mortgage payment.

Are you gonna live in the area for less than 5 years? Maybe renting is a solid option? If you aren't gonna live somewhere for 2 years renting becomes even better.

If I were not a home owner today and I wanted to start a family I'd need to have a solid emergency fund of at least 3-6 months of expenses before I'd even consider it. If I didn't have that I'd be living very tight to get that reserve stockpiled.

People mostly focus on interest payments and they do matter. I wouldn't be waiting on that to change. You can always refi once rates come down. They will come down but I don't see them coming down to the 2% range anytime soon. That was an oddity historically. Rates are not really that bad historically speaking. Just in recent memory they look bad.

I don't view my home as an investment. Its my home. It has value. It has utility. It is better than fiat for storing value but not better than bitcoin or even gold. It is far to risky and requires tax payments to even hold it.

I know realtors and I can tell you that your question is very common. They tell people that before they even consider buying they should talk to a loan officer and see what their options are. It could be that you can't afford a home now and you just don't know it. You may not realize how good renting can be. Patience is your friend. Don't buy into either extreme for buying or renting. Figure out your finances and talk to people that can learn and teach you about your options.

It really depends on your situation and what you would otherwise do with the capital you would have put as a downpayment on a house. If you have or are planning to have a family I would recommend buying a house even if it is not the best ROI. Otherwise just rent the most affordable place you can that is in a safe area where you can live comfortably and plow the rest of your money into Bitcoin. Then a few years down the road when it is time to buy, hopefully Bitcoin has worked it's magic and you have enough for a downpayment plus some Bitcoin left over.

If want stability especially with a family, buy a house. If you want flexibility especially if single, rent. I've never personally had the desire to own a house.

The fiat monetary system is hugely based now upon real estate and in particular residential housing. If as some Bitcoiners predict and fiat is dying ( I hope) then real estate could be a terrible investment in terms of future return. Real estate did increase in value steadily from the late 1980s until after Covid when the price of money hit rock bottom. There is a mechanism there where declining cost of debt drives up asset prices including housing. The wests banking system is more than ever dependent upon debt issued to fund and inflate housing markets- do not expect housing prices to continue to rise much now that the price of debt has reached a position where it cannot go much lower nor much higher without the entire edifice of fiat money collapsing. All that said, if you enjoy a stable base and gardening/growing your own food then owning some land is worth considering.

Emotionally, a home can be great, but they don't really earn a great return compared to public markets, at least in the U.S. However, the last few years have had A LOT of price appreciation, so it's seemed like a good investment.

Also, if you spend all your money that comes in out of habit, forcing yourself to build equity through a mortgage is a good way to force savings.