There are few interesting things in this debate I want to chime in on…

The 1st is the 20% down, I think you may be over estimating the amount of people who can pull 60k out of their ass and go put it down on a home in MM. How many responsible buyers do you know who DIDN’t get a home in the last few years that have 20% down? … besides a few/alot of us piggies

The second is the true cost of ownership including P and I, taxes, HOAs?, insurance, vacancy costs, potential and likely depreciation costs, repairs, and maintenance. My point is I doubt that as an investor these homes that were mentioned would be a smart or even break even investment.

which brings me to my third point…

Now this is where I ‘m no expert, but can you deduct interest on a property that is being used as an investment/rental? I thought it was only first and second homes that were owner occupied?

And finally all of the arguments presented so far assume that there will be no recession, loss of jobs, etc. If there is a recession as many believe may happen, and job losses increase, don’t expect rents to remain at current levels. And don’t expect all the tenants to pay the full amount and on time. In difficult times, families will be living together, taking in roommates, people will leave this relatively expensive area for cheaper places like Texas, and so on. These same factors will also contribute to even lower home prices as wel if they play out as expected.