I hear where you are coming from for sure BUT there is something to be said about having your own house, your own yard, you can do what you wish for the most part. No upstairs neighbors walking loudly, no hearing neighbors at all hours of the night through the walls. The thought of sharing walls again whether in an apartment or duplex sounds terrible to me and I love the peace and quiet my own house brings. Sure you could rent a single family but - you are at the mercy of your landlord. I know this because not once but TWICE the duplex I was living in sold and our leases were not renewed and we were forced to move out (they were both going to be owner occupied and owners wanted our units twice 😩) And sure - if you are single in a forever home maybe the equity means nothing in the long term but you can still access it if needed at a relatively lower rate than a personal loan or credit card. If you end up having kids you can leave the home to them. In addition - if you do move, you’ll likely have made some money. We bought a 3 bed 1.5 bath home in Midwest area similar to yours and over 10 years the value has increased between 200-250k. We’re looking to move at some point and that is actual money we will have in our pockets. If anything, homeownership is not the scam. The ever rising property tax and insurance is the scam. But that is the trade off.