The House the Mason Builds

Housing is the largest expense most Brothers will ever bear. Get it right and thou hast a tailwind for life. Get it wrong and the house owns thee.

The classic affordability rule: total housing cost (mortgage, taxes, insurance, maintenance) should not exceed 28% of gross income. Maintenance alone runs ~1% of home value annually — most Brothers forget this and bleed.

Buying makes sense when thou shalt occupy 7+ years and the price-to-rent ratio in thy market is below 20. Above 25, renting and investing the difference is mathematically superior. There is no shame in renting; there is only shame in not running the numbers.