Why Renting Might Be the Smarter Choice as Mortgage Rates Stay Stubbornly High

After years of stubbornly high interest rates, it’s finally becoming less expensive to borrow money—except in the case of mortgages. 

While the federal funds rate can often appear to affect mortgage rates, the relationship is incidental; both figures respond to similar signals from the broader economy. Mortgage rates fell ahead of September’s rate cuts—bookending strong jobs reports and other positive economic indicators—but have returned to their previous highs, even as the Federal Reserve cut rates again on Nov. 7. Today’s average mortgage rate is 6.75%, back to what it was in October, but still much higher than when it was 5.89% on Sept. 17.

With little information to go on, this has left new homeowners reassessing their plans and many choosing to rent instead of buy in this unfavorable market. 

“The dip in mortgage rates over the summer meant some lucky buyers were able to capture the lowest rates in 18 months,” said Judy Zhou, a real estate agent with Douglas Elliman who represents both rentals and sales in New York.

“[However,] many would-be buyers are still turning to the rental market for affordability,” Zhou said, citing her firm’s data. “New leases were up over 40% year-over-year in Manhattan and over 213% in Brooklyn in September.”

Rental prices in various markets across the U.S. have softened in recent months.

“As we enter November, we have seen rent prices come down 7% to 10% compared to the summer peaks, while mortgage rates have gone back up since mid-September,” Zhou said.

Renting May Actually Be More Affordable

The rationale for buying a home seems simple. Pay your mortgage on time every month, and eventually, you’ll own an asset that provides shelter and from which you can extract cash in the form of equity. Following that logic, renting can seem like a raw deal since you’re paying roughly the same monthly cost but, in return, only receiving the shelter part.

Still, weighing your monthly rent against a hypothetical mortgage payment for a comparable home leaves out many hidden costs of homeownership. Purchasing a home requires a down payment (which, at the usual 20% for a conventional mortgage, will likely require scrounging together a five- or six-figure sum), closing costs, and potentially more.

You’ll also pay ongoing costs like property taxes and homeowners insurance, which has become an especially onerous additional cost. 

“Across the country, homeowners have seen their insurance rates climb dramatically compared to just a few years ago,” said Pat Howard, a home insurance expert who most recently researched coverage at Policygenius. “Additionally, several major home insurance providers are no longer insuring homes in areas they consider high risk, leaving potential buyers with fewer options to choose from and driving up insurance prices even further as a result.”

All told, the extra costs can add up to many thousands of dollars per year.

When you lease your place, some percentage of these costs is almost certainly passed onto you as one big rent payment. That’s why rent can seem superficially higher than just taking out a mortgage. But other charges, like renovations and repairs, are typically paid for by your landlord.

Reminder: You Don’t Get Your Interest or Rent Payments Back

The best way to compare homebuying and renting to break down the costs and numbers. For example, let’s say you’re debating whether to rent a $2,600 per month apartment for 12 months or buy a $375,000 house.

For the apartment, you’ll pay a total of $31,200 in rent over the course of one year. Add on renters insurance of about $300 for the year, and a one-time security deposit for $1,000, and you’re all-in costs to rent for 12 months are $32,500.

For the house, you’ll pay 20% for the down payment, which equals $75,000. With a mortgage rate of 6.75%, your monthly mortgage payment will be $1,945 before any taxes or insurance. For the first 12 months, your mortgage payment consists of $260 to $270 toward the principal, and $1,667 to $1,688 toward the interest (this is because mortgages work on an amortization schedule).

Here’s where you’ll want to look at the total interest and the total principal paid over the course of 12 months and compare those to the price of rent. In one year, you’ll have put about $3,200 toward the principal balance of your mortgage. In that same year, you’ll have paid about $20,100 in interest payments—money you won’t get back.

So, while you’re building equity over the course of one year, you’re also paying a lot of money in interest that you won’t see again. While you won’t get your rent payments back, you’d only be paying an additional $12,400 to rent the apartment for one year—with no 20% down payment necessary.

For those who want to save more money to buy a home in the future, it may make more sense to rent than buy in the short term because of high mortgage interest rates.

If you buy a house and then sell it in a few years, the equity might not offset the cost of your next home enough to make it cost-effective, or you may need to take out a new mortgage to make up the difference—which means paying closing costs and other fees all over again, as well as risking a potentially higher interest rate.

When Will It Be a Good Time to Buy a House?

It’s not clear when the housing market will become more favorable for buyers and the forthcoming Trump administration’s impact on the housing market is unclear. The results of the 2024 election sent the stock market and Bitcoin to all-time highs. And while the 10-year Treasury yield has also risen in the last week, experts do believe mortgage rates will come down in the long-term—but they believe we’ll see rates rise first.

For now, renting may be the most affordable option. But if you’re ready to buy and waiting for the stars to align perfectly, you could be waiting—and renting—for a long time.

It’s smart to pay attention to the housing market, but the right time to buy a house also depends on your financial and personal life. 

“Your decision to buy or rent a home is a personal one. You need to think about your specific life situation, and it doesn’t necessarily have to come down to cost,” Zhou said. “Ask yourself questions like, ‘Where do I want to be in five years? Ten years? The lifetime of the loan?’ Do you want to start a family or change careers? Do you need a place to live immediately, or can you wait out the homebuying process, which could take months?”

In other words, you may crave the flexibility of a year-to-year lease, or you might prefer the stability of a permanent living situation, even if it costs more.

How We Track Mortgage Rates

The national and state averages cited above are provided as is via the Zillow Mortgage API, assuming a loan-to-value (LTV) ratio of 80% (i.e., a down payment of at least 20%) and an applicant credit score in the 680–739 range. The resulting rates represent what borrowers should expect when receiving quotes from lenders based on their qualifications, which may vary from advertised teaser rates. © Zillow, Inc., 2024. Use is subject to the Zillow Terms of Use.