Should You Rent A Home Or Buy; What Expert Advices

To buy, or not to buy, that is the question — especially when your rent feels like a monthly donation to someone else’s dream home

Prerna Mistry Updated: Thursday, July 31, 2025, 08:48 PM IST

Let’s talk about one of adulting’s trickiest dilemmas: to rent or to own. On one side, you’ve got the freedom of rented space and the thrill of moving every 11 months like a couch-surfing ninja. On the other, there’s the weighty but worthwhile world of homeownership. And let’s be honest, the latter is starting to look a lot more like the grown-up glow-up we all need.

While renting might give you the illusion of flexibility, what it often leaves you with is a lighter wallet and... nothing to show for it. Because spoiler alert: those lakhs you’ve been pouring into rent? They’re not coming back. They’re off living their best life in your landlord’s investment portfolio.

The lease trap

A lot of people spend years chasing that mythical “perfect” home. Meanwhile, they rack up rent bills that could’ve paid off a solid chunk of an actual house. And let’s not even get started on the couples leasing snazzy flats in prime postcodes just for the ‘Gram. You may have city views, but what you don’t have is equity.

Home loans sound scary, sure. But guess what’s scarier? Realising after 5 years of renting that you could’ve owned half a home by now, and maybe one even with a balcony.

EMI > rent regret

The rent you’re paying now could be working for you, not your landlord. Home loans today come with tax benefits, which basically means you get to keep more of your money while building your own asset. It’s a financial win-win. Meanwhile, renters are stuck paying both rent and taxes with none of the perks.

Even your accountant, who probably breaks into a cold sweat at brunch bills, will tell you: buying a house is a smarter money move. And if you don’t have an accountant, it doesn’t matter because math doesn’t lie.

Built-in safety nets

Most lenders throw in term insurance—translation: if something happens to you, your loved ones aren’t stuck paying off your EMIs. They get the home, minus the debt. If you’re renting, though? Let’s just say the landlord isn’t exactly offering hugs and shelter during a crisis.

Stability & sanity

You know what’s exhausting? Moving every year. Explaining to your kid why their school has changed again. Reintroducing yourself to new neighbours. Hauling your furniture across the city like a nomadic circus act. Owning a home brings the one thing adulthood desperately needs: stability.

No more tiptoeing around landlords or apologising for your wall art. Picture this: You buy a flat, maybe not in SoBo, but in a location that actually breathes across the MMR periphery. You pay EMIs instead of rent. You enjoy tax benefits. You customise your walls, hang fairy lights without permission, and—wait for it—your dog is finally not illegal.

You’re not moving every 11 months with your fridge on a tempo and a prayer. You have stability. Roots. A pin code you can claim. Go for it. Your space, your rules.

Cost versus investment

Sure, renting gives you wings but buying gives you roots. One is about temporary convenience. The other? Long-term growth, stability, and sweet, sweet peace of mind.

So, the next time you’re weighing your options, just remember: renting may feel like freedom today, but buying is the real flex. Because when all’s said and done, coming home to your place hits different. There’s no joy quite like walking into your own house, kicking off your shoes, and thinking, “Yeah. I did that.”

Published on: Sunday, August 03, 2025, 07:00 AM IST

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