What happens if you never buy a house? What renters are gaining — and giving up

What renters are gaining — and giving up What happens if you never buy a house? What renters are gaining — and giving up The high cost of buying a home means that many 20- and 30-somethings are re-evaluating traditional personal-finance advice that assumed homeownership to build wealth For many young adults, buying a home can feel out of reach. /iStockphoto When Tanisha Saunders graduated from college eight years ago, she felt optimistic that she was on her way to achieving an American dream that included homeownership. She took some steps toward that goal, including researching programs that help first-time home buyers.

But in recent years, Saunders, 36, says she has “freed” herself from the idea of becoming a homeowner. Copyright ©2026 MarketWatch, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8 The smartest money moves to make with interest rates expected to go higher Why a Federal Reserve rate hike could be a ‘rare win’ for your retirement money ‘Save me from taxes.’ I’ve got profitable investments, Social Security and I want to travel.

How do I best skirt high taxes? The ‘CIA’ strategy beating the market: How one top-performing money manager spots mispriced stocks What history says about longer-term bond yields after an initial Fed hike Jillian Berman is assistant managing editor, news and enterprise, at MarketWatch, where she covers student loans and consumer debt. Her book on the student-debt crisis, “Sunk Cost: Who's to Blame for the Nation's Broken Student Loan System and How to Fix It,” was published in 2025.

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