Casas Equity — Building Wealth Through Home Ownership
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Rent vs. ownership

Buying is not automatically better than renting. Compare the paths.

Compare cumulative rent with a hypothetical ownership path, including mortgage balance, appreciation assumptions, and estimated home equity over time.

Rent vs. ownership history

What did renting cost compared with the equity you could have built?

Use this as a look-back calculator or a forward projection. Enter the home value and mortgage rate from the starting year, the rent you paid or expect to pay, and either today's/future home value or an appreciation assumption.

Starting point — years ago

Today's estimated home value

Rent paid over 10 years

$267,476

Estimated ending monthly rent: $2,680

Home value today

$700,000

Value increase: $250,000

Estimated mortgage balance

$319,075

Principal paid: $85,925

Estimated gross home equity

$380,925

Home value less estimated remaining mortgage balance.

What renting cost

$267,476

Estimated cumulative rent paid during the period using the starting rent and annual rent-growth assumptions you entered.

Potential ownership position

$380,925

Estimated gross equity that could exist at the end of the period before selling costs, taxes, transaction expenses, or other ownership considerations.

Important: this is not a claim that buying always beats renting.

This model illustrates a hypothetical ownership path based on the inputs you provide. It does not include every cost or benefit of renting or owning, including tax consequences, investment returns on unused cash, closing costs, selling costs, repairs, insurance changes, tax reassessments, rent concessions, opportunity cost, or market volatility. Historical appreciation does not guarantee future results.

Save your scenario

Email or text these calculator results to yourself.

Keep the numbers for later, reopen the calculator, and continue comparing before you make a mortgage decision.

What the calculator cannot decide for you

Holding period

Transaction costs matter more when you expect to own the property for a shorter period.

Maintenance

Ownership comes with repair and maintenance obligations that are difficult to model perfectly.

Opportunity cost

Cash used for down payment and closing has alternative uses and investment possibilities.

Lifestyle flexibility

Renting may offer mobility while ownership can offer control, stability, and customization.

Turn the comparison into a homebuying decision

If ownership still looks attractive, continue with the financial and property questions.

Affordability

Estimate the full housing payment inside the rest of the monthly budget.

Continue →

Purchase planning

Build the financing, cash, reserves, and offer strategy before shopping seriously.

Continue →

First-time homebuyer

Understand the broader process, preparation, loan options, and common first-purchase questions.

Continue →