NY Times article - A bubblehead buys

[WestSideBilly]

Nothing earth shattering. Interesting (and simple) graph of rent vs buy.

[TJ_98370]

.
A key phrase in your linked article -

....I'm still not sure how good our timing was. Based on the backlog of houses on the market, I fully expect that our new house will be worth less in six months than it is today.....

The author admits knowledge of the risk of depreciation and considering other factors he still decides to buy. Good for him. He made an informed decision.

The interactive graph is fun, but how can you predict variables like home appreciation and rent increases / decreases with any accuracy for an extended period of time? With current conditions of 0% home appreciation and 4% annual rent increases the graph indicates that buying a home would only make sense if you stayed in it for 16 years.

[WestSideBilly]

I didn't say it was accurate.