The S&P 500 has significantly outperformed the housing market over the past decade, with stock returns of 235% compared to 87% for home prices, prompting younger Americans to invest in stocks rather than buy homes as mortgage rates exceed 7%. Economists argue that the rent-versus-buy decision involves trade-offs often overlooked, and that homeownership bundles two separate choices—where to live and how to invest—that shouldn't be automatically conflated. Despite housing's non-investment benefits, current market conditions favor buyers with sellers offering concessions and incentives.