Own. I wanted to buy in my early 20’s but wasn’t able to make it happen until my mid 30’s. (Nothing like chasing a skyrocketing housing market, amiright?) I hate being responsible for all the maintenance, but otherwise it’s a huge step up in every way. I never want to go back to renting.

All those years of renting left me with a lifelong distaste for landlords. Perpetually renting is part of the American poverty trap, IMO. I hate seeing my peers buying up the last would-be starter homes to turn them into rentals. And I hate that all the new construction around me is targeting higher-income buyers. If I had the time and money, I would love to build modest homes and sell them to first-time buyers and new parents.