For generations, the American dream has rested on a familiar promise: with enough hard work, anyone—regardless of background—can achieve financial security, move up the economic ladder and eventually own a home.

But for millions of Americans, buying a house is no longer viewed as an inevitable milestone. Instead, soaring prices and mounting responsibilities are turning homeownership into a financial burden—and inspiring a once-unthinkable question: What if I never buy a home at all?

Rising prices are at the center of the shift. Researchers at Harvard University found that the typical US home now costs roughly five times the median household income. Historically, that figure has been closer to three times income.

The age of the typical first-time buyer has climbed as well. According to the National Association of Realtors, it has reached a record 40, compared with about 28 in the early 1990s.

Real estate giant CBRE estimated that buying a home will cost 105 percent more per month than renting in 2026. At the same time, the US is facing an estimated shortage of 3.4 million single-family homes.

Together, those figures show that prospective buyers are confronting a challenge far more complex than deciding whether they can manage a 7 percent rate on a 30-year mortgage.

Jon Perroni, 31, works in human resources in New York. He told the Daily Mail that many younger Americans are struggling with a housing market in which home prices have surged far faster than their paychecks.

‘Baby boomers had the opportunity to buy early and build their wealth over a few decades,’ Perroni told us. By contrast, he said, Gen Z is confronting steeper housing and living costs without incomes that have risen at the same pace.

Student loans, routine household expenses and an uncertain job market can make it even more difficult for younger workers to accumulate the money required for a down payment, Perroni said.

Still, he said many people are not abandoning the idea of owning altogether. Some are moving to less expensive areas, taking on side jobs or postponing the decision while they wait for their circumstances to improve.

‘Many people are simply waiting to be in the right place professionally/personally before they make such an important decision,’ Perroni told us.

For Kate Jones, a 37-year-old consultant in New York, renting is not solely a response to high prices. It also fits the lifestyle she wants.

Jones travels for much of the year and told the Daily Mail that she appreciates being able to leave a home without arranging its upkeep or worrying about what happens to the property while she is away.

‘If I owned a home and was away, I’d have to worry about managing it or becoming a landlord – and that’s just not something I want to take on,’ she said.

That freedom is among renting’s key advantages, according to PenFed Credit Union. Renters generally avoid many of the costs and obligations associated with ownership, including routine maintenance, unexpected repairs, homeowners insurance and possible HOA charges.

Homeowners, meanwhile, must be prepared for expenses beyond the mortgage. A failed water heater, damaged roof, plumbing emergency or pest infestation can produce substantial bills—costs that remain a risk even after the monthly payment has been carefully budgeted.

The trade-off has become a prominent discussion among first-time buyers on Reddit. In one discussion, a homeowner warned that the ‘hidden costs of homeownership are abundant,’ while another recounted receiving a $25,000 bill after a bathroom leak spread into a neighboring apartment.

The Reddit discussion also illustrates why comparing a rent payment directly with a mortgage payment can be misleading because buyers must account for property taxes, insurance, maintenance, all utilities, closing costs and – in some cases – private mortgage insurance.

PenFed says buyers should also consider how long they expect to remain in the property, noting that it can take three to five years for a home to appreciate enough to recoup the down payment and closing costs through a sale.

But for anyone arguing in favor of renting over buying, they must reckon with the biggest advantage of the latter: Part of every mortgage payment builds equity in the property.

Economist Nadia Evangelou told the Daily Mail that the difference ultimately comes down to wealth, pointing to estimates that the median homeowner has a net worth of around $430,000 compared with roughly $10,000 for a renter, with home equity accounting for most of the difference.

Over time, homeowners benefit if the value of their property rises, while a renter has opted out of appreciation entirely.

But buying is not automatically the cheaper option.

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One widely shared financial analysis on Reddit compared a hypothetical $500,000 home with a $2,500-a-month rental, assuming a 20 percent down payment, a five percent real investment return and 2.5 percent annual real home appreciation.

Under those assumptions, the analysis estimated that the homeowner could spend about $1.6 million over 30 years on the mortgage, taxes, insurance and maintenance, while ending up with a property worth around $1 million.

The renter, meanwhile, would spend about $1.4 million on rent over the same period, but could potentially invest the $100,000 down payment they did not spend, along with the difference between their housing costs and the homeowner’s expenses.

The analysis estimated that those investments could eventually be worth more than $1 million – but that outcome depends heavily on the assumptions and, crucially, on the renter actually investing the money rather than spending it.

That is one reason financial experts caution against treating a rent-versus-buy calculator as a crystal ball.

‘You don’t NEED to buy a house,’ financial planner Joshua Wilson wrote in a LinkedIn post, arguing that someone paying $3,000 in rent is not automatically better off paying $4,300 to own once taxes, insurance, maintenance, HOA fees and closing costs are added.

The upfront cost can also be substantial.

Buyers may need to save not only for their down payment but also for closing costs, inspections, moving expenses and an emergency fund for the inevitable repairs that come with owning a property.

And putting down less than 20 percent can mean paying private mortgage insurance, adding another monthly expense until certain conditions are met.

For renters, the trade-off is that their monthly payment generally does not give them an ownership stake in the property.

Then there are the tax advantages to homeownership, although they’re not available to every homeowner.

The federal mortgage-interest deduction allows taxpayers who itemize to deduct qualifying mortgage interest from their taxable income, generally subject to the applicable mortgage principal limits.

Taxpayers who take the standard deduction cannot separately claim the mortgage-interest deduction.

That means the tax break should be treated as one part of a homeowner’s calculation rather than a guaranteed annual refund.

As noted above, renters can build wealth without owning property by investing money that would otherwise have gone toward a down payment or higher ownership costs.

PenFed notes that a home is only one type of investment – and that renters can potentially build wealth by investing consistently instead, although all investments carry risk and returns are not guaranteed.

The crucial difference is discipline.

A homeowner automatically puts at least some of each mortgage payment toward the principal balance, whereas a renter needs to make a conscious decision to invest the money they are saving.

There is also evidence that renters are increasingly choosing to stay put rather than treating renting as merely a temporary stop on the road to homeownership.

CBRE said lease renewals accounted for 57 percent of multifamily leasing activity in 2026, compared with 51 percent in 2015 and 48 percent in 2005, as high homebuying costs encourage more people to remain renters.

For someone who moves frequently, has an unpredictable income, lacks an emergency fund or wants to keep their savings available for other goals, renting can therefore provide a degree of financial flexibility that ownership cannot replicate.

But for someone who can comfortably afford the costs, plans to stay put for many years and values building equity and having control over their home, buying offers benefits that a rental cannot replicate.

The key question is increasingly not whether renting means someone has failed to achieve the American dream, but whether their housing choice allows them to balance the costs, risks, flexibility and wealth-building opportunities that matter most to them.

Todd Tucker is opening up about the “dark” and isolating period he experienced while separated from “Real Housewives of Atlanta” alum Kandi Burruss in a candid interview with Page Six.

“I’m gonna be honest, when we separated, I stayed in the guesthouse, which is just me in this big house by myself. My kids and the family are next door, and it was a lot of alone time,” Tucker, 53, exclusively told Page Six.

With so much time alone, Tucker said he found himself consumed by painful questions about the end of his marriage and the possibility of losing his family. “What did I just do? What just happened? Did I lose my family?” he recalled. “So I’m gonna be honest, I had nobody really to lean on.”

The entertainment producer also repeated a disturbing admission featured in his upcoming docuseries, “Til Divorce Do Us Part,” revealing that during some of his most difficult moments, he “looked at [his] gun.”

Tucker said he ultimately pulled himself back by focusing on his responsibilities as a father. “But then I snapped out of it, like, ‘No, you have a family. You have kids that you have to see them through,’” he remembered.

Tucker and Burruss, 50, have four children between them. They share 10-year-old son Ace and 6-year-old daughter Blaze, while each has an adult daughter from a previous relationship: Kaela Tucker, 30, and Riley Burruss, 24.

“It was a lot of dark times, but since then, I’ve been going to church, I’m about to find me a therapist and just take this journey of rebuilding myself,” Todd said. He added that he wants to become “the best dad and the best co-parent” while moving forward.

Previews for “Til Divorce Do Us Part,” which Todd described as his answer to Kandi’s recent “I Do. I Did. I’m Done.” tour, feature serious conversations with several of his male friends. Many of those friends have appeared on “RHOA” or remain connected to the franchise.

Tucker said making and appearing in the docuseries was “very emotional,” but he believed it was “important” to share his perspective and, as a man, “get it out” and “tell [his] side of the story.”

“I think we [men] carry a lot of stress, we carry a lot inside, and sometimes, it’s too late, you know? It’s a stroke, or he’s got cancer because he’s been holding it [in],” he said.

His message to other men is to seek help before emotional pain becomes overwhelming. “Just get it out, speak to a therapist, however you got to get it out,” Todd urged. “Don’t try to bash anybody, don’t try and make anybody look bad, but just get it off your chest.”

Tucker also believes he is entitled to speak publicly about his experiences because Burruss has frequently discussed their relationship in the public eye.

“I’ve been labeled everything in the book for over a decade on ‘Housewives.’ And I’ve never really spoken, and I just wanna be heard. And after that, I’ll go fade into the darkness, and you won’t hear nothing again,” he said.

“And I’ll just do my movies and, you know, still do my projects, but I won’t be talking,” vowed Todd, who will host a double-feature premiere of his docuseries and new film, “Don’t Bring Your Man to Atlanta,” next month as part of an AMC Theaters weekend takeover.

The TTucker Productions founder, who famously left his job as a “RHOA” producer so he could date Kandi without a professional conflict, also said he is confused by her reaction to a moment featured in the first “Til Divorce Do Us Part” trailer.

In the preview, “RHOA” alum Cynthia Bailey’s former husband, Peter Thomas, asks Todd, “Is the threesome s–t for real for real?” Todd responds, “We did, we did. I would say [for] most of our marriage, we did.”

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Burruss later criticized Todd for “choosing to sensationalize [their] sex life to stretch his five minutes of fame.” She argued that “what consensually happens between a husband and wife in the privacy of their marriage is exactly that: private.”

Todd disputed that characterization, pointing out that the Grammy-winning musician and former Bravolebrity had discussed their sex life during her 14 seasons on “RHOA.” Burruss also shared details on her adult-themed talk show, “Kandi Koated Nights,” and created the Bedroom Kandi sex-toy line.

“I gotta ask you a question: Do we have a private marital sex life?” Todd asked rhetorically during the interview.

“And this is not even from me. Like, you’ve heard it from her. So how private is it?” he continued. Todd added that Burruss had discussed their threesomes without consulting him, but said he generally chose not to object. “For the most part, I’m a good sport, so I never made a problem of it or an issue of it.”

He claimed Thomas’ question arose from Kandi’s own confessions.

“So at the end of the day, I’m not throwing out there any new information,” Todd insisted. “I’m not out there doing a tell-all or naming any people or doing anything like that. It was just a conversation, and that’s really all it was.”

As for why Kandi pulled the plug on their 11-year marriage, Todd admitted vaguely that there was one particular “incident” involving another woman, which he will elaborate on in the docuseries.

“A lot of our friends were like, ‘Buy her flowers, buy her flowers.’ But I was like, ‘Hey, this is bigger than flowers.’ So I set up for us to go to therapy ’cause this was beyond buying flowers. ‘Cause if I buy flowers and she’s happy and we’re cool, I’m still not 100%, you know what I’m saying?” Todd said.

“So I wanted to deal with the overall relationship issues, and I think looking back, she wanted me to fix where she was at in the moment before she could fix the bigger part of the relationship issues, if that makes sense. So I just think when I saw she wasn’t willing to fight with me, I just thought that it’s probably best for me to just kind of bow out. If she wants a divorce, give her the divorce.”

But Todd, who told us repeatedly that he misses his family, added, “I made vows to be with her forever, and I would have stayed forever.”

However, he accepts Kandi’s decision and acknowledged that “sometimes, things aren’t meant forever.” And even though they’ve experienced rocky moments amid their very public split, Todd made sure to stress, “We’re always fine with each other. There’s never any tension or anything. Even though we may be pissed off or mad or feeling a way, we put it to the side for our kids.”

Though Todd doesn’t necessarily blame reality TV for the demise of his marriage, he does feel it “played a part.”

He also believes he “allowed a lot of disrespect” from Kandi’s historically critical mom, “Mama Joyce” Jones, and said he feels a weight has been “lifted off [his] shoulders” now that she’s no longer an active part of his life.

“I was trying to prove myself to somebody who didn’t like me, and I never stopped,” he told us. “And I’ve never stopped caring about her seeing my kids and making sure [they know], ‘That’s your grandma. Make sure you call her.’”

As for whether he’s currently dating, Todd explained he “need[s] some time to get [himself] together” before he can be “ready to be a good man for somebody” else.

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.

A Texas lawmaker is cautioning that an accused wife-killer’s flight to Italy—and the decision to drop the death penalty as a potential punishment—could create a dangerous precedent for future criminal defendants.

Lee Gilley, 39, faces a capital murder charge in connection with the October 2024 death of his wife, Christa, who was nine weeks pregnant. The Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that she died in a homicide caused by neck compression. Gilley has pleaded not guilty.

Authorities say Gilley removed his ankle monitor on May 1 and left Texas before his trial could begin. Court records show that he traveled to Italy’s Milan Malpensa Airport using a false identity and forged documents before Italian authorities arrested him.

Gilley’s U.S. attorney, Dick DeGuerin, previously told News Media that Italian judges demanded a written assurance that prosecutors would not seek the death penalty before considering his extradition. DeGuerin said Italian authorities could also request a guarantee that Gilley would not receive life in prison without parole.

“Most civilized countries in the free world have abolished the death penalty,” DeGuerin told News Media on Tuesday. “The U.S. and Texas should do the same, in my opinion after spending 61 years of my adult life in the criminal justice system.”

In response to the Italian judges, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office said it would not seek the death penalty against Gilley. However, prosecutors stopped short of promising they would not pursue life without parole, pointing out that he could eventually be eligible for commutation.

Texas State Representative Brian Harrison told News Media that he is deeply concerned about the possibility of a European nation influencing how a defendant is sentenced in Texas.

“You’re almost opening Pandora’s box in sort of a roundabout way, allowing … some of those European socialist soft on crime liberal politicians to be able to wield influence over what happens in Texas courts,” Harrison said. “I do not want foreign governments, foreign officials, foreign courts having anything to do with how we enforce criminal laws here in the state of Texas.”

“What’s to stop them from moving the goalposts even further?”

Harrison said the case could establish a troubling model for other suspects who might look for unconventional ways to limit the punishments they face.

“If you can somehow, once you’re out on bond, just touch foot on foreign soil and then turn the extradition hearings into basically a way to whittle down potential punishments … the implications are profound and very concerning to me,” Harrison said.

A hearing took place before the Turin Court of Appeal on Sept. 7. DeGuerin told News Media that the extradition process had been delayed again.

At a July 15 hearing before the Turin Court of Appeal, Gilley said he was seeking protection in Italy, according to NBC News. The court blocked the extradition request during a July 20 hearing.

Gilley’s Italian attorney, Monica Grosso, has said that Christa suffered from a blood disorder and that blood found in the couple’s bedroom was inconsistent with the prosecution’s account of her death.

“I am seeking protection in Italy,” Gilley said. “They want to punish me, and I am asking for protection for myself and my children.”

Gilley is scheduled to appear at another Turin Court of Appeal hearing on Oct. 7.