On average it's still one of the best possible investments you can make with money, especially considering making a return on any sort of savings today isn't really a thing. These articles also neglect to mention that if you had bought property in a city like SF, Boston, or NYC a decade ago you wouldn't currently be worried about being priced out of the city by increasing rents (commute distance is a huge economic burden beyond the obvious housing costs).

It's still not something that's a "sure thing" or you can do hastily. It also takes more of your time than renting, so if you're trying to optimize "free time" then it's likely a bad investment in that regard.

There's no simple answer one way or another, but if you're trying to justify your inability to buy as a "good decision" you'd still be wrong more often than right. An increased market of affordable housing to purchase is better on the whole for wealth equality than controlling rents.