it comes down to whether the interest on the mortgage plus property taxes and other fees is more or less than the rental amount (plus any other fees)
Not it doesn’t. Debt (and its associated interest) is not the bad part of the mortgage, it’s the good part. The bad part is tying your financial future to land speculation and a depreciating asset on top of it. It comes down a bunch of things, including the opportunity cost of the cashflow difference plus the subpar expected returns on real estate equity, and the investment profile of the person to which this advice is being given. Maybe the average person should buy? I guess that can be true, because the average person apparently can’t use an online calculator and stick to a long term investment strategy.
Not it doesn’t. Debt (and its associated interest) is not the bad part of the mortgage, it’s the good part. The bad part is tying your financial future to land speculation and a depreciating asset on top of it. It comes down a bunch of things, including the opportunity cost of the cashflow difference plus the subpar expected returns on real estate equity, and the investment profile of the person to which this advice is being given. Maybe the average person should buy? I guess that can be true, because the average person apparently can’t use an online calculator and stick to a long term investment strategy.