We live in very different places. Multiply most of those numbers by about 6 and you have my area. I’m not exaggerating - 3 bedroom attached house of 1.5million, mortgage of 6.5k, PMI of $2500. Average rent is 2-3k for a 1 bedroom.

I’ve lived it. If your average home is $250k, your situation is nothing like mine or half the country that lives in cities. Your advice only applies to rural areas with extremely low cost of living.

People don’t do this because it’s not a good idea for almost everyone. If you don’t put money down, your monthly payment will be astronomical, and THEN you will have to pay PMI on top of that (which isn’t applied to the mortgage OR interest) until you hit 20% paid. That money is thrown away and depending on where you live, it can be close to a rent payment on its own, without the actual mortgage payment. If you can afford a massive mortgage with PMI, you can afford to save a down payment. The only time I would do what you suggest is if my income was way more than rent and I was in a rush to move into a house.

Fannie and Freddie are legit, use them!