Shot of a man pouring coffee in cups on kitchen counter with his wife standing by
Since January of this year,the national median rent has increased by a staggering 16.4 percent.To put that in context, rent growth from January to September averaged just 3.4 percent in the pre-pandemic years from 2017-2019.
Looking back, we can seerents rising isnt new. The medianrental pricehasincreasedconsistently over the past 33 years(see graph below):
If youre thinking ofrentingfor another year,consider that rents will likely be even higher next year. But that alone doesnt paint the picture of the truecostof renting.
The Money Renters Stand To Lose This Year
A homeowners monthly mortgage payment pays for their shelter, but it also acts as an investment. That investment growsin the form ofequityas a homeownermakes their mortgage paymenteach month to pay down what they owe on their home loan. Their equity gets an additional boost from homeprice appreciation, which is at near-record levels this year.
The latestHomeowner Equity Insightsreport fromCoreLogicfound homeowners gained significant wealth through theirhome equitythis past year. The research shows:
. . . the average homeowner gained approximately $51,500 in equity during the past year.
As a renter,youdontget the same benefit.Yourrent payment only covers the cost of shelter and anyincludedamenities.None of your monthly rent payments come back to you as an investment. That means, by renting this year, you likely paid more in rent than you did in the previous year, and you also missed out on the potential wealth gain of $51,500 you could have had by owning your own home.
Bottom Line
When deciding whether you should rent or buy in the future, keep in mind how much renting can cost you. Another year of renting is another year youll pay rising rents and miss out on building your wealth through home equity. Contact us today to talk more about the benefits of buying over renting.
