this kinda makes me think FHA is the way to go, with a 15k tax credit. take an option to buy the house; if the price increases, great. if it stays flat, keep the house if you still need it or like it…if the price goes way down, just use it for free rent, self or rent it out. the PMI hit calculation should take into account the option of just not paying and the value fo the free rent minus the value of your credit. seems a lot better than actively putting 20% into a place where the neighbors are paying zero.