I understand what you're saying, I truly do, but renting is 100% sunk cost, and one that continues to rise year after year after year.

Going into retirement on a fixed budget, never truly being able to prepare for how much rent will be from year to year, is a nightmare for seniors.

Even if my home never appreciated a dollar, I would still 100% prefer to have some control over my housing costs. I've locked in my payment for 30 years, after which it disappears. Maintenance is expensive - get a home warranty. Taxes and insurance are expensive - when you rent you're simply paying for someone else's.

There's no way around housing being expensive, but you can either have an asset at the end, or just a bunch of cash down the toilet. And 99% of people will not invest the money spent, so while that's a decent argument, it's not a reliable one, especially if their rent is eating up their extra funds every month.