what about the downpayment aspect of home pricing? that is, with no downpayment, you could afford to pay the same to own as you pay in rent. that being the primary reason under “normal” 20% down scenario that people still rent even if the monthly cost is the same as buy. they just dont have the down, can’t save the down and when they try, when the economy is doing well and they can afford to save, so can everyone else…
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and with regards to stocks and bonds, what are the normal barriers to investing? ie., prior to etrade and 401k’s, wasn’t a minimum investment of some significant size required? even opening a cd requires a deposit larger than most people (j6p) are able or willing to drop…