OP-
Of course, you have to weigh your own factors and make your decision based on them. Everyone’s needs and situation are different.
DW & I have lived together in ~16 places (and a few more individually due to school & work). We’ve lived in almost every type of place; SFH, townhouse, condo/flat, apartment; urban, suburban, rural. We owned in about a third of those locations and rented in the remaining two thirds (we moved a lot for work). We made $$$ on the houses we owned. We liked the vast majority of the places we lived, rented or bought; mostly, I think, because we were very careful about choosing where to live. Based on our experience, what I can say with a high degree of certainty is:
- Home ownership is not a good “investment”; in fact, I’m not sure it should be considered an investment
- The cost to own is higher than renting, most of the time
- Home owners are not inherently more responsible, nicer or even more house-proud than renters
- The depth (and length) of our friendships with neighbors has not been determined by whether we owned or rented but, by ourselves and whether we were good neighbors and friends
- Choosing your desired environment carefully (regardless of whether you rent or own) is the most important decision; get that right and good things will follow.
I highly recommend JLCollins posts on this subject; lots of wisdom there.
Best of luck.