I'm often shocked at how expensive mortgages are in the US. Our interest rate is 2,25% and that's quite high - we locked in the rate for a long period because we figured it wouldn't get any lower but right now the going rate is about 1-1,5%. On top of that property taxes are fairly low where we live: we pay maybe €600/year and half of that we would have to pay as renters too because it for garbage disposal and sewage. And then Americans seem to have to pay a mysterious thing called PMI too?
In my country owning is usually way cheaper than renting - our mortgage payment is €300 and we'd pay 4 times that if we rented this exact house. I guess that's because it's very hard to qualify for a mortgage in my country. Only a select group of people can jump through all the hoops while saving enough money for closing costs while paying extortionate rent. We managed by being extremely frugal.
In this series, lots of people seem to be able to convert barns their family owns or build temporary homes on land someone else owns, pretty much all of that is semi-illegal in here. And honestly, I don't think most people know someone who has a vacant field that you can put your tiny house in for free. But if that's something you have access to, you should grab that opportunity with both hands. Low housing costs are the gateway to financial freedom to the average person.
