As someone who’s never lived in a single place for an entire 20 years (my parents moved around too), I’m trying to grasp what you’re saying. Everybody is different but my personal feeling is that change should be exciting and not feared. Yeah, I’m an “everything happens for a reason” and “it will all work out” kind of gal. Annoying, huh?

If your rent is insanely low AND you are happy there AND know that you’ll be able to stay for as long as you like, then you are part of that “*This doesn’t pertain to you if you really don’t want to/cannot own for good reason.” crowd. Lucky you!

I disagree with the article you linked to because my own experience tells me otherwise. Buying our first home was the best single financial move we ever made. We were able to purchase the others because that one was such a good investment. With the exception of our Beacon house, which was a splurge near the height of the market and a “we just want out” at rock bottom, we’ve had some decent profits from the sales. Even Beacon, where we lost money, was equivalent to paying $1800 rent per month during the years we lived there. More than I’d ever want to pay a landlord, but we loved that house so!

My Rockaway house remains to be seen. Prices dropped after the storm, but the rents are taking care of mortgage and upkeep while I wait for them to bounce back. Anyway, that one is apples and oranges. We’re talking about buying a home to live in while that one is strictly an investment.

I’d like to buy, but my insanely low rent has helped me put a lot of money away, adding more to my sense of well-being than being tied to a mortgage.

Here’s an article that helped convinced me to stay a renter: http://jlcollinsnh.com/2013/05/29/why-your-house-is-a-terrible-investment/

Although I still love looking at StreetEasy.

I agree with being a homeowner if possible. I also don’t understand long time renters who won’t even paint a room because they don’t own their apartment.