About

What it does

Rent vs Buy runs hundreds of Monte Carlo simulations using real market data to help you decide whether renting or buying builds more wealth over time. Every scenario accounts for mortgage amortization, PMI, property taxes, maintenance, tax deductions, investment returns, and home appreciation — all with realistic variance from historical data. No two runs are identical because markets aren't.

How it works

Each simulation projects a household's month-by-month cash flow over a chosen horizon for two parallel paths: buying a home with a 30-year (or 15-year) mortgage, and renting the equivalent home while investing the difference. We compare the two paths' net worth at the end of the horizon. Across hundreds of independent runs we report the typical outcome plus percentile bands so you see the range, not just a single point estimate.

Where the data comes from

• Home values, growth forecasts, and rent benchmarks (ZORI) — Zillow Research
• 30-year and 15-year mortgage rates — Freddie Mac via FRED
• Property tax rates by county — US Census Bureau ACS
• CPI and stock market history — FRED (Federal Reserve)

Limitations

• This tool is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Consult a qualified financial advisor before making real estate decisions.
• Historical variance is not a guarantee of future variance. Crash scenarios are user-tunable but inherently speculative.
• We model financial outcomes only — we don't value the quality-of-life factors that drive most housing decisions.
• Tax savings assume federal rules; state-by-state effects are approximated.

Contact

Reach us at contact@rentbuysellapp.com. See our privacy policy for what we store.