Taking a deeper dive into the question of whether buying or renting a house was better, lifehacker.com blogger Melanie Pinola started off quoting her blogger friend Trent Hamm’s theory why buying a house is a financial decision and not an emotional one.

Hamm, who writes for thesimpledollar.com says most articles focus on the financial nuts and bolts of the things you should have in order before you consider buying a house.

“You’ve got to have good credit. You’ve got to have a down payment. You’ve got to know the housing market. And so on.

“Yet those aren’t the only important things to be thinking about,” he says.

“Don’t buy a house because that’s what you’ve been told you’re “supposed” to do.

“Don’t buy a house because that’s what you think you’re “supposed” to do.

“Don’t buy a house because it’s a good investment for the future. It’s really not all that great of an investment.

“Don’t buy a house because you might get married and have children someday and you need the space for this hypothetical future.

“Don’t buy a house because you think it will lead you to some sort of idealised suburban life. A house won’t change who you are.

“Don’t buy a house because you’re trying to “keep up” with someone in your life. It’ll make you fall further behind in the long run.

“Buy a house because you it truly makes sense financially and you’re ready (and excited) to deal with the challenges of homeownership.

“Buy a house because it’s better for your housing dollar than the other options available to you.

“Buy a house because it’s what you want and it’s what you can handle, not because it’s what others want.”

Pinola’s other four reasons: “If you do buy a house, plan to own it for several years because owning a house is thinking long-term, rather than short-term (and doing it solely for investment gains isn’t a sure thing either), that’s totally wrong;

“Buy as much house as you might need, but no more than that. Buy too much house, on the other hand, and you’ll be spending more money on maintenance, energy, and taxes than you should be;

“Negotiate as much as you can with the seller. Depending on how comfortable you are with the house-buying process, a buyer’s agent can be a great help. Just do your research also so you know how much your agent should be helping, and don’t be afraid to push for more concessions if needed;

“Don’t be afraid to walk away. The biggest lesson I learned was to not become emotionally attached to a property before all the paperwork was signed. See it as a financial transaction — one of the biggest ones most of us will have as well as a lifestyle decision.”