I am surprised by this broad generalization that if you are planning to live in a place less than 5 years you should rent. I might have become accostomed to the people on this forum focusing on running the numbers and making an educated decison based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative factors. This type confirmation bias limits your ability to process all the data available. It is like saying you ar always better to buy term life than whole life or to pay cash for a car rather than finance or lease. In all circumstances each decision might vary based on that particular buyers needs and each decision might equally maximize the value of the transaction.
