Any realtors out there....or real estate savvy individuals

Property taxes can be a substantial portion of your mortgage payment.
Also find out if you will have to pay PMI to your mortgage company. That's an insurance you pay for a period of time if you don't put a certain amount of money down on the mortgage up front.
Association fees for a condo are also a big thing to consider.
The market in the area (are prices static? Lower than 5 years ago? Higher? Are houses selling?)
Homeowner's insurance is generally not too bad, but also something to ask about.

I've never heard of a place where renting was more than buying, as if it were people with money would snatch up the properties and rent them out. That being said renting you don't have anything to show for the money you paid other than the temporary place to stay. Buying is an investment.

What does he get with rent? Does that include heat? Hot water? Trash? That $600 mortgage payment doesn't include those things, and probably doesn't include taxes or HOA or whatever on top of that (which were already mentioned). It also takes into account a pretty sizeable downpayment that was likely required to purchase the home.

I wasn't clear initially, I haven't heard of a place where the total cost of renting was more than the total cost of buying.

Ok, for many years now, it's better to rent than own. There are lots of online calculators on this. I've been a strong proponent of renting vs owning. Owning is not all its cracked up to be. I've owned homes and rental property and I think it sucks. You can innvest your money elsewhere and rent. When something goes wrong, they have to fix it. You don't have to pay property tax, you're paying it in the rent already. If you find an old place to rent, like where the house is paid off, the owners may not care that much about you paying all the expenses. In other words, property taxes are low because the property was purchased 40 years ago, there are no mortgage payment, etc, so the owners can literally rent it for a few hundred a month, if they want and that pays for the cost of keeping it maintained.

If you want to buy, there is insurance. Where I live, there earthquake, flood, and fire that are mandatory. You can't not have it and it costs a lot; especially flood and earthquake. You might have PMI if you don't have a good down payment. Avoid PMI at all costs. It is a total bullsh*t expense.

Never have thing wrapped up in your mortgage. Always have everything separated so later you can pay them off or get it of them. Wrapping things into the mortgage seems simple, but it's a rip off every time. Remember, NEVER go for the seemingly easier way. Your mortgage goes on for 30 years. So, what ever you sign will stick for 30 years. Your payment being as low as it can be is the most important thing for you. Your mortgage payment being as high as it can be is more important to the bank. So, there the devil. Watch out!

Stay out of HOA if you can. No one likes them, they can be significant, and they are mostly run by jerk offs with nothing better to do with their lives except makes rules for everyone else. Total idiots, and control freaks.

Put as much down as you can. 20% or higher.

The tax deduction is a myth. It's not the reason to buy. If you think so, give me a dollar everyday, and I'll hand you back $.60. Deal?

The only reason to buy is not to invest. A house is not an investment, as weve al recently learned with everyone losing their homes, it is a home. A place to live. Plan on staying for the long term. I think the way people do it today is crazy and that's why so many lost their *kitten*. It's your home, not an investment. Eventually, yes, it will be a nest egg and you may need it in your old age. However, too many times, I see oldies having to sell it for medical. Guess what, if you don't have it, you get treatment anyway.

Buy a home, live in it, retire, and be happy. Forget about the financial aspect of it. That should not be the reason for buying it. You are not speculating on the market. It's a bad decision to do so, IMO.

zillow is a fun app but often out of date

in my mind a house payment is a house payment, either write the check to the bank or to a landlord. maybe because 6 years ago my house was worth double the amount is it today

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Always remember a few things: Sellers/Realtors and Mortgage professionals benefit if they can convince you that the property is worth more than it really is in the current market. Sellers get the proceeds, Realtors are paid based on the Sales Price, and Mortgage Professionals benefit from higher mortgage amounts based on the sales price. Sharp buyers look for the proof of reality of the market, not just accepting what these people tell them.
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^^^^^
truth right there!!!