Do people who passionate argue for buying a home instead of renting violate the Efficient Market Hypothesis?
The explanation for this market inefficiency, as for so many others, is the government. There are massive tax benefits to owner-occupied housing, like the non-taxation of imputed rent. This means that the value of a house to a homeowner exceeds the value to a landlord. This plus the liquidity-constraints of the marginal homebuyer mean that the marginal house is worth more to the marginal homebuyer than he is able to pay for it.
As for whether people are arbitraging this or not? Yes, millions of middle class homebuyers are arb'ing this, saving themselves a huge amount of money.
I thought it is just the US-specific stuff, then I realized that the rent non-taxation applies everywhere the landlord is supposed to pay income tax on the rent, except where it is cash under the table, except where landlords are offshore companies with tax shenaningans, except where it is rented from a non-profit co-op, this third is actually our case.
But this gives a useful heuristic, if anyone pays tax on your rent - I think our co-op doesn't but I need to verify it - that is an argument for ownership.
I too have noticed that the weird part of taxation...
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