To buy or rent (forever)???

I know a couple who paid off there mortgage sold the home and down graded to a smaller home but rented. They are now semi retired.

This may sound like a silly question but can you have IPs and rent yourself? Just a curious question.

 

Of course you can.

 

Im heavily involved in property and have rented for the last 10 years apart from a 15 or so month stint. My previous place i was paying 920/wk on but i estimated it was costing my landlord up to 1800 a week, i wouldve been mad to buy it

 

So was the landlord mad to invest in it ? Was he just a bad investor ?

It would be a very similar story with our PPOR - except that it has tripled in value (all tax free).

 

Iv has this discussion with my wife. We could be better off in away?

 

I won't buy another PPOR until it's my dream home or is a good investment, in a growth area with the potential to rent down the track with a positive yield/ sell up and reinvest the profits.

Currently renting in Sydney for a 1.75% yield, no rates, no insurance, much cheaper way to live whilst I invest elsewhere, it's also a positive having the option to upgrade/downgrade if needed and change location as we choose.

First home was a PPOR in port Stephens NSW and had to leave due to work (now rented) so a bit reluctant to purchase another PPOR and sacrificing the CGT exemption, also not worth selling yet.
Last year purchased 2 in Logan as I thought it were a safer bet than buying in Sydney.

Some think I'm crazy, will have to wait and see, great to read everyone else's thoughts, I guess we are all in very different situations, there's no right or wrong.