Run the real 2026 numbers on rent vs. buy — mortgage rates, property taxes, insurance, maintenance, appreciation, and the opportunity cost of the down payment if you'd invested it instead. Then have the conversation that matters: not just "can I afford this house?" but "what does home mean — and how long am I actually staying?"
"A house is what you buy. A home is what you build. Don't confuse the two — and don't sign a 30-year mortgage to chase someone else's definition of either one."
— Dr. Rob Gillio, Force for Health
Hosted by
Dr. Rob Gillio
Walking you through the housing math, one decision at a time.
Rent paths + FHA, VA, USDA, conventional, house-hack
100%
Real 2026 Data
Census · FHFA · NerdWallet · Urban Institute
3
Components
Simulator · Lesson · Worksheet
$0
Cost to Use
Free. Forever. Honest.
Three Tools · One Conversation
Pick your starting point.
Each piece works on its own. Used together, they're the most honest housing conversation a young person, a family, or a counselor can have — before anyone signs a 30-year mortgage.
A natural 60-minute progression — at home, in a counselor's office, or in a classroom.
📊
Run the simulator
→
📘
Walk through the lesson
→
📋
Take home the worksheet
Who This Is For
Four audiences. One honest conversation.
🎓 Students & Young Adults
Anyone within five years of their first apartment, first mortgage, or first big housing decision. The earlier the math is honest, the better.
👨👩👧 Parents & Families
The kitchen-table tool for talking to grown kids about renting vs. buying — without the "you're throwing money away" script that's wrong as often as it's right.
📚 Teachers & Counselors
A standards-aligned, district-submittable life-skills lesson. Slot it into personal finance, family & consumer sciences, or guidance.
🤝 Mentors, Coaches & Faith Leaders
Anyone walking with a young couple, single buyer, or family through a housing decision. The Five Questions belong in that conversation.
💡 What the simulator quietly reveals
The true monthly cost of a $400K home is ~$3,121 — not the $2,039 mortgage payment. Property tax, insurance, and a 1.5% maintenance reserve add 50% on top of P&I. The bank tells you what you qualify for. It does not tell you what you can afford.
At 2026 mortgage rates (6.5%) with median appreciation (3.5%), renting and investing the down payment often beats buying for 10-15 years on the typical home. This flips when rates fall, appreciation accelerates, or the down payment is small (FHA 3.5%).
Jordan, 26, with $20K saved, buys a $280K FHA starter at 3.5% down. Ten years later they have $143K in net wealth — without ever waiting to save a 20% down payment. The FHA path beats both "wait and save" and "rent forever" for many first-time buyers.
A 4-plex house-hack ($650K, FHA 3.5% down, live in one unit, rent 3) generates ~$3,600/mo in rental income. Total cash to close: ~$42K. Equity at year 10: ~$435K. The highest-leverage housing strategy most young buyers have never heard of.
Selling a home in fewer than 5-7 years rarely beats renting financially. Closing costs (~3% in, ~6% out) take a 9% bite that home appreciation needs years to overcome. Buy because you want roots — not because you're trying to "stop wasting money on rent."
Ready to run the numbers — honestly?
Free. No login. No tracking. Just the math, the meaning, and the conversation it makes possible.
Share this with someone choosing a home · #ForceForHealth · #HealthIsWealth
Health Is Wealth · Housing Module
A Roof Worth Sleeping Under
Rent vs. buy. Buy vs. buy. Real 2026 numbers — mortgage rates, property taxes, insurance, maintenance, appreciation, and the opportunity cost of the down payment if you'd invested it instead. The 30-year math, made honest.
Tap a preset for Path A. Use the Compare toggle below to set Path B.
2 Adjust the Numbers
The Home / Rent
Home price $0
Median US home in Q1 2026 was $403,200 (Census). National avg $514,600.
Down payment % 0%
FHA: 3.5%. Conventional: 5–20%. VA/USDA: 0%. Median first-timer: ~10%.
Monthly rent (Path A if renting) $0
US median 1BR rent April 2026: $1,510. 2BR: $1,795 (Zillow).
Mortgage
Mortgage rate (30-yr fixed) 0%
2026 avg: 6.50% conventional, 6.12% FHA (Fortune, April 2026).
PMI (if <20% down) 0%
Urban Institute 2026: 0.46–1.50%/yr of loan. Drops at 78% LTV.
Ongoing Costs
Property tax rate 0%
National avg 1.1%. NJ 2.5%, TX 1.8%, PA 1.4%, HI 0.3%.
Home insurance ($/mo) $0
National avg $208/mo (NerdWallet 2026). Florida $595, Hawaii $75.
Maintenance reserve 0%
% of home value/yr. Industry rule: 1–2% annually for repairs/upkeep.
HOA dues ($/mo) $0
Growth Rates
Home appreciation/yr 0%
FHFA long-term ~3-4%. 2025-26 was 1.7%. Bubble years 6-10%.
Rent inflation/yr 0%
2026 nationwide: 2.9% YoY. 2020-26 avg: 5.6%.
Investment return/yr 0%
If you rent and invest the difference. S&P long-term avg ~10% nominal, ~7% real.
Time Horizon
Years in this home 0
Average US homeowner stays ~13 years. First-time buyer ~7.
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Path APath B
Net Worth Over Time
Path A
Annual Housing Cost · Path A
Year-by-Year Detail · Path A
Health Is Wealth · Housing Module
A Roof Worth Sleeping Under
A companion guidance lesson to the Housing ROI Simulator — for students, young adults, parents, and counselors. Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions most people will ever make. The math matters. So does the meaning. This is how to talk about both.
"A house is what you buy. A home is what you build. Don't confuse the two — and don't sign a 30-year mortgage to chase someone else's definition of either one."
— Dr. Rob Gillio, Force for Health
Grades 10–12 & Adult45–60 minPersonal Finance · Life SkillsGuidance · CTE · Family & Consumer SciencesCompanion to Housing ROI Simulator
Why This Lesson
The two questions that decide whether a house becomes a home.
The Housing ROI Simulator answers question one: "Will this house actually build wealth — or am I being sold a story?" This lesson answers question two — the one no spreadsheet can solve: "Will this house be a place I love to live, or a financial obligation I'm chained to?"
Both questions matter. A house picked only on math becomes a building you sleep in. A house picked only on feelings can become a 30-year financial trap. The healthiest housing decisions — the ones that build wealth in every sense — sit at the intersection of a place you genuinely want to live, a price you can genuinely afford, and a length of time you actually plan to stay.
Learning Objectives
Identify the true total monthly cost of homeownership — not just the mortgage payment.
Evaluate when buying genuinely beats renting (and when it doesn't) using the Housing ROI Simulator.
Recognize that renting is not "throwing money away" — it's buying flexibility and liquidity.
Apply the Five Questions framework to a specific housing decision the student or their family is considering.
Force for Health Framework
Learn It · Live It · Share It
📘
Learn It
The real math behind owning vs. renting.
💪
Live It
Apply the 5 Questions to a real decision.
📣
Share It
Tell someone what an honest home math looks like.
Phase 1 · Learn It
The Hook · "What is your home?"
🎣 Opening question
5 min
Ask the class: "Close your eyes for 30 seconds. Picture the place you'd most want to live in 10 years. Don't think about the price — just the place. Where is it? Who's there with you? What does it smell like? What sound is in the background?"
After 30 seconds, ask: "How many of you pictured a single-family house with a yard?" Some hands. "How many pictured an apartment in a city you love?" Some hands. "How many pictured a cabin, a farmhouse, a tiny home, a condo, a duplex with family next door?" More hands.
"Every honest housing decision starts here. Not with a mortgage calculator. With the question: what does home mean to you? Once you know that, the math becomes a tool that serves you. Until you know that, the math will tell you what someone else wants you to do."
Dr. Rob Gillio
The takeaway: Housing is one of the few big purchases where the financial decision and the emotional decision are completely tangled together. The simulator handles the financial side honestly. The conversation has to handle the rest.
Phase 2 · Learn It
What Buying a Home Actually Costs
Most people think buying a home means paying the mortgage. That's roughly half the story. Here is what it actually costs to own a $403,000 median US home in 2026, month one, with a 20% down payment:
Monthly Cost
Amount
Mortgage principal & interest ($322K @ 6.5%, 30 yr)
$2,039
Property tax (1.1% of $403K ÷ 12)
$370
Homeowner's insurance
$208
Maintenance reserve (1.5% of value ÷ 12)
$504
HOA / utilities premium (if applicable)
$0–$300
Total true monthly cost
$3,121+
That's $3,121/month minimum for the median US home with 20% down. Add PMI if you put less than 20% down (~$215/mo on this loan), and the number is closer to $3,335.
Add the upfront cash: $80,640 down payment + ~$12,096 closing costs = ~$92,736. Many first-time buyers don't have $92K saved — which is exactly why FHA loans (3.5% down) and VA loans (0% down) exist.
The big surprise for most students: the mortgage P&I is only ~65% of the true monthly cost of homeownership. Property tax, insurance, and maintenance add another 50% on top of the mortgage itself. The bank will tell you what you qualify for. It does not tell you what you can afford.
Phase 3 · Live It
Run the Numbers — Honestly
📊 Activity · Housing ROI Simulator
15 min
Open the Housing ROI Simulator. Each student picks two scenarios to compare. Recommended pairings:
Median Home · 20% Down vs. Rent · Mid-cost city
Starter Home · FHA 3.5% Down vs. Rent · Mid-cost city
House Hack · Duplex vs. Median Home · 20% Down
High-Cost City Home vs. Rent · High-cost city
Try the comparison at 5, 10, 20, and 30 years. The results will surprise most students. Have them write down at least one thing that genuinely changed their mind.
Important — the result that surprises everyone: at current 6.5% mortgage rates with 3.5% expected appreciation, renting and investing the difference often beats buying for 10–15 years or more, especially on expensive properties with 20% down. Buying tends to win when interest rates are low, appreciation is high, the down payment is small (FHA 3.5%), or the hold period is 20+ years.
Phase 3 (continued) · Live It
The Starter Home Path · A Worked Example
Meet Jordan, 26. They've been renting for $1,500/mo in a mid-cost city and have $20,000 saved. They want to buy. The conventional wisdom says save until you have 20% down (~$56,000 on a $280,000 starter home) — another six to seven years. But FHA lets them buy at 3.5% down today.
The FHA Starter Math
Home price: $280,000
Down payment (3.5%): $9,800
Closing costs (~3%): $8,400
Total cash to close: ~$18,200 (well within Jordan's $20K savings)
Mortgage: $270,200 @ 6.12% FHA = $1,642/mo P&I
Plus tax/ins/maint/PMI: ~$960/mo more
True monthly cost: ~$2,600/mo
So Jordan's housing cost jumps from $1,500/mo renting to ~$2,600/mo owning. Is that worth it?
At year 10, Jordan has built ~$143K of home equity beyond what they put in — without ever having saved a 20% down payment. If they'd kept renting at $1,500/mo (rising 3%/yr) and invested $18,200 + the annual difference at 7%, their portfolio would be ~$135K. The FHA starter home essentially ties or slightly beats renting at year 10 — and pulls ahead from there.
"The 20% down payment requirement is a 1950s-era assumption that doesn't fit a 2026 starter buyer with $20K saved and rent costing $1,500. FHA is not a 'lesser' product — it's the product designed for the situation most first-time buyers are actually in. Use the right tool for the job."
Dr. Rob Gillio
Phase 4 · Live It
The Five Questions
Before signing any purchase agreement — and before letting anyone tell you renting is "wasting money" — answer these out loud, in writing, with a parent, spouse, or mentor in the room. There are no wrong answers. There are only honest ones.
How long will I actually live here?Be honest. Career-mobile? In a relationship that might mean a move? Planning to start a family that may need more space? If you'll be gone in 4 years, the math says rent. If you'll be there 10+, buying probably wins.
Do I want to be the one who fixes the roof — or pay someone else to?A homeowner spends 1–2% of home value per year on maintenance — that's $4,000–$8,000 a year on a $400K home. Some of that is hiring it out. Some is your weekend. Some is the broken water heater on a Tuesday night. Is that the life you want?
Can I genuinely afford this — including the 1.5% maintenance reserve?"Qualifying" for a mortgage is not the same as affording it. Add up the mortgage P&I, tax, insurance, maintenance reserve, and HOA. Is that total under 28% of your gross income? Could you handle a $5,000 surprise repair next month without panic?
What does this house do for my life beyond appreciation?Closer to family? Better schools for kids? A yard for the dog? A workshop for your craft? A quiet place for your faith life? A community you want to plant roots in? These reasons are not "soft." They are often the strongest reasons to buy — and the simulator doesn't measure them.
What's my Plan B if I lose my job, get divorced, or need to move?Selling a house costs 6%+ in fees and takes 3–6 months. Renting it out turns you into a landlord, which is a second job. Having an honest Plan B before you sign protects you from being trapped.
Phase 5 · Reflect
Renter vs. Owner — Both Honorable
One of the worst legacies of mid-20th-century American culture is the idea that renting is somehow a lesser life — that you haven't "made it" until you own. That story is financially wrong and morally tone-deaf. Here is the honest framing:
🏙️ The honorable renter
Pays rent on time. Treats the property as if it were their own.
Buys flexibility — can take the job in another city, leave a bad neighborhood, or downsize for a new life chapter.
Invests the cash that would've been tied up in a down payment — and watches it compound.
Knows what the rent buys: a roof, repairs handled by someone else, and freedom of movement.
Is building wealth differently — not less.
🏡 The honorable owner
Saved patiently, bought what they can afford, and budgets for the maintenance reserve.
Treats the home as a place to live first, an investment second.
Maintains it well — for the next family who lives there as much as for resale.
Sees the home as a 10+ year decision, not a 3-year flip.
Is building wealth slowly, deliberately, and with their hands.
"I have known renters with more financial freedom than homeowners three times their income. And I have known homeowners who are house-poor — who own a beautiful asset they can barely afford to live in. The label on the deed does not determine wealth or honor. How you steward the roof over your head does."
Dr. Rob Gillio
Phase 6 · Reflect
Debrief Discussion
💬 Three questions for the room
10 min
What surprised you most in the simulator? Did renting beat buying in your scenario? Did the FHA starter beat the conventional 20% path? Did house hacking shock anyone with how strong it is?
What does "home" mean to you? Is it a location? A type of building? The people in it? The freedom to move or the security to stay put?
Tell me about an honorable renter or homeowner you know. What about how they live tells you it's worth aspiring to?
Check for Understanding
Quick Quiz
Four questions. Tap your answer to see the explanation. Pass at 3 out of 4 to earn the badge.
1. The true monthly cost of owning a $400K home goes well beyond the mortgage payment because:
On a $400K home, tax (~$370/mo), insurance (~$208/mo), and maintenance reserve (~$504/mo) typically add up to $1,000–$1,200/mo beyond the mortgage P&I. The bank tells you what you qualify for. It does not tell you what you can afford.
2. Under 2026 conditions (mortgage rates ~6.5%, home appreciation ~3.5%, market returns ~7%), renting + investing the down payment often beats buying for:
When the spread between mortgage rate (cost) and home appreciation (return) is large, and the alternative is investing in a 7% market, the math often favors renting — sometimes for 15+ years. This flips when rates drop, appreciation accelerates, or the down payment is small (like FHA 3.5%).
3. Jordan buys an FHA starter home at 26 with $9,800 down on $280K. At year 10, their net wealth (equity minus cash in) is approximately:
Jordan's home appreciates to ~$395K (3.5%/yr), the loan pays down to ~$234K, leaving $161K of equity. Subtract the $18K they put in (down + closing) and net wealth is ~$143K. This is roughly tied with the "rent and invest" path at 10 years, with the buy path pulling ahead from there.
4. Dr. Rob's central message in this lesson is:
Neither renting nor owning is morally or financially superior. The right answer depends on you — your time horizon, your cash, your career, your family, and what you actually want from the roof over your head.
Cross-Curricular Extensions
Take It Further
✍️
Writing
Interview a homeowner (parent, neighbor, mentor) and a long-term renter. Write a two-page profile: "What I wish I'd known."
📐
Math
Calculate the true monthly cost of homeownership for a $300K, $500K, and $750K home — including the 1.5% maintenance reserve.
🏛️
Civics
Research zoning, property taxes, and homeowner protections in your county. Identify three policies that affect housing affordability locally.
🎨
Art
Design a poster: "What home means to me." Show the place, the people, and the daily life — not the price tag.
🔬
Research
Pick a metro you'd consider living in. Find median home price, 1BR rent, property tax rate, and 5-year price trend. Present findings.
👥
Family Connection
Run the simulator with a parent. Plug in their actual purchase numbers from when they bought their home. How did the path compare to renting?
Phase 7 · Share It
Tell Someone
The conversation a young person needs to have about housing is not with a real-estate agent — it's with a parent, mentor, or older friend who's been through it. Earn coins and badges by sharing.
📣 Spread the Word
Facebook · Long Form
I just ran the numbers on something I thought I understood: rent vs. buy in 2026. The Force for Health Housing ROI Simulator showed me that with mortgage rates at 6.5%, renting + investing the down payment often beats buying for 10–15 years on the typical home. I'm not saying don't buy — I'm saying check the math before someone tells you renting is "wasting money." A house is what you buy. A home is what you build. Try it free at forceforhealth.com/join. #ForceForHealth #HealthIsWealth
Instagram · Punchy
"You're throwing money away on rent" might be the most expensive piece of bad advice in America. 🏠 Math matters. Meaning matters more. Run your real numbers before signing 30 years. → forceforhealth.com/join #ForceForHealth #HealthIsWealth #HousingROI #RentVsBuy
Text a friend or family member
Hey — there's a free tool that runs the real math on rent vs. buy with 2026 numbers. Some of what it shows surprised me. Want to look at it together this weekend? forceforhealth.com/join
Print this worksheet and fill it out by hand at the kitchen table with a parent, mentor, or partner — or type your answers directly on screen (every blank is fillable). It pairs with the Housing ROI Simulator.
FFH
Our Housing Math
A Roof Worth Sleeping Under · Companion Worksheet
FFH Academyforceforhealth.com
A good housing decision sits at the intersection of three things: a place you genuinely want to live, a price you can genuinely afford, and a length of time you actually plan to stay. This worksheet is the conversation that puts all three on the kitchen table — before anyone signs anything.
📍
Place
A roof in a neighborhood, near the people, that fits the life you want.
💰
Price
A total monthly cost — not just a mortgage — your budget can carry.
⏳
Time
A honest answer to "how long am I actually staying?"
1Who's at the table
2The two paths we're going to look at honestly
Pick two scenarios to run in the simulator. The most honest pairing is the one you're actually choosing between — usually a buy path you've been considering and a rent path in the same area. Or compare two buy paths (FHA starter vs. 20% down conventional, for example).
3What the simulator told us
Open the simulator. Run each path at the same time horizon. Write the numbers here.
The Five Questions
Answer these out loud. Together. Honestly.
FFH AcademyHousing Worksheet · pg 2
1
How long will I actually live here?
Be honest. Career-mobile? In a relationship that might mean a move? Planning to start a family that may need more space? If you'll be gone in 4 years, the math says rent. If 10+, buying probably wins.
2
Do I want to be the one who fixes the roof — or pay someone else to?
A homeowner spends 1–2% of home value per year on maintenance — $4,000–$8,000 a year on a $400K home. Some of that is hiring it out. Some is your weekend. Some is the broken water heater on a Tuesday night. Is that the life you want?
3
Can I genuinely afford this — including the 1.5% maintenance reserve?
"Qualifying" for a mortgage is not the same as affording it. Add the mortgage P&I, tax, insurance, maintenance reserve, and HOA. Is that total under 28% of your gross income? Could you handle a $5,000 surprise repair next month without panic?
4
What does this house do for my life beyond appreciation?
Closer to family? Better schools? A yard for the dog? A workshop for your craft? A quiet place for your faith life? A community to plant roots in? These reasons are not "soft." They are often the strongest reasons to buy — and the simulator doesn't measure them.
5
What's my Plan B if I lose my job, get divorced, or need to move?
Selling a house costs 6%+ in fees and takes 3–6 months. Renting it out turns you into a landlord — a second job. Having an honest Plan B before you sign protects you from being trapped.
"I have known renters with more financial freedom than homeowners three times their income. And I have known homeowners who are house-poor — who own a beautiful asset they can barely afford to live in. The label on the deed does not determine wealth or honor. How you steward the roof over your head does."
— Dr. Rob Gillio, Force for Health
📌 Our next three steps
Three real things we will do before signing any paperwork. Not someday — by a real date, with the person we'll do them with.
Signature
Partner / parent / mentor signature
Date
FFH Academy · Health Is Wealth · Housing Module · Page 2 of 2 · Share this conversation. Earn coins. #ForceForHealthJoin: forceforhealth.com/join
