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Landlords make a profit so they are apparently throwing less money out the window than the renters.

Landlords are only making a profit because of the exceptional last couple of years in California. I will bet you that if you take a mortgage today, you will most probably not make a profit vs renting.

> Landlords are only making a profit because of the exceptional last couple of years in California

That's a particularly pointless bit of misinformation. Holding property isn't free, in general. Land is quite the liability in California unless you make enough to justify holding it. Landlords make plenty of money. Currently 750/mo (or more) for single rooms out of a house in southern california for anything decent. With AirBnB you do much better. The math is straightforward.

That’s not true. Landlords often ignore the opportunity cost of their down payment. They can be cash flow positive, while still overall negative compared to other investments.

There is nothing that says rent has to cost more than owning.

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