> you're actually better off if the market goes down
Only in a perfectly spherical house market. In my limited experience (non-US market), your assumptions are poor. Opinion:
1: You often can't get a mortgage on the same terms so you often can't find equality between selling a home and buying a home.
2: When the market is down, turnover can reduce drastically so your choices for a house can be severely restricted.
3: when the market is down, prices are sometimes driven by unwilling sellers and bargain hunters. A desirable home may sell at a reasonable price but an average home might not.
The market is often down when interest rates are up and you can't get a mortgage on terms that suit you.
> You're born "short housing"
You are short the "minimum" necessary which is a lot smaller than a whole house. You are not short 1.0 houses. Maybe short 1.0 rooms. And it really depends on who else you are tightly linked with (family or partner).
Only in a perfectly spherical house market. In my limited experience (non-US market), your assumptions are poor. Opinion:
1: You often can't get a mortgage on the same terms so you often can't find equality between selling a home and buying a home.
2: When the market is down, turnover can reduce drastically so your choices for a house can be severely restricted.
3: when the market is down, prices are sometimes driven by unwilling sellers and bargain hunters. A desirable home may sell at a reasonable price but an average home might not.
The market is often down when interest rates are up and you can't get a mortgage on terms that suit you.
> You're born "short housing"
You are short the "minimum" necessary which is a lot smaller than a whole house. You are not short 1.0 houses. Maybe short 1.0 rooms. And it really depends on who else you are tightly linked with (family or partner).