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Something about renting furniture doesn't sit right with me (pun intended). I'd much prefer to be able to sell it back for a fraction of the original cost than to have to pay a monthly fee for my table.

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It's the idea that you pay your whole life for a bunch of things, but don't own any of them. If you lose your income, you lose your car, your computer, your software, your furniture etc.

People rent furnished apartments (indeed airbnb has offers where you rent by the month). Apparently it makes financial sense for some people, e.g. digital nomads.

A guy I know says he just packs his belongings into his SUV and he's free to move from airbnb to airbnb, negotiating a good price for them (e.g. staying in summer vacation apartments during winter time).

Also, have you seen any international homefinding shows on cable? AFAIK in some South American countries buying furnished houses and flats is a common practice. Presumably there is judgment involved in knowing what to upgrade before going on market, but this is also true of other upgrade tradeoffs such as with kitchens and bathrooms.

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