For about the first five years or so, homeownership is a horrible investment as all your money is going to interest.

[The following comes with the caveat that my entire adult life was during a period of falling interest rates.]

When I was young and rented, I quickly noticed the landlord raised my rent by $20-30/month every year. But when you buy, your mortgage doesn't go up. Sure, your taxes and insurance might, but that hopefully isn't $300/year, every year. And in my case, I was able to sell and buy the next house for a slightly lower price and a much lower interest rate a couple of times. In 20 years, I have gotten to a place where I own my home outright with no mortgage.

There is absolutely zero chance that renting my whole life would have been the better long-play option.

But yeah, the first 3-5 years were rough. Back then, the mortgage was more than rent would have been, plus all the maintenance issues were my problem too. But the scales did tip over time to where the overall savings were huge.