, Columnist
From Austin to Boston, Renting Is a Better Deal
Consider the cost of a house compared to the profit you'd make renting it out when deciding whether to rent or buy.
Forget this and rent.
Photographer: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
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Most people make the mistake of evaluating the housing market in terms of whether it's a market for buyers or sellers. But the better question, especially for those looking for a new place to live and have the means to do either, is whether it's a buyer's market or a renter's market.
When the demand for housing overall is high and both rents and housing prices are going up, as they are now, it might be hard to think of it as a better time to rent. But right now, the increase in housing prices is eclipsing the rents in many places.