me_irl

For me the biggest reason to buy is simply quality of life. On paper, sure, renting comes with ease of mind. You don't have to do maintenance and the landlord takes care of everything. However, the responsible landlord is the personal finance analog of the physicist's spherical cow. Landlords are in the business to make a buck. They never do any maintenance unless absolutely forced to do so by either the law or market conditions. If the city isn't going to condemn the property, and as long as they can keep it rented, they don't give a damn. However, when something at the landlord's house needs fixing, it's undoubtedly fixed quickly and properly.

I like owning a house because it ensures that I can actually have a pleasant place to live. Landlords have no incentive so keep their properties actually livable rather than just inhabitatable.