Do You Know the Cost of Waiting? [INFOGRAPHIC] Yes, there is a cost associated with delaying your decision to buy a home - and it could get VERY expensive. Besides the fact that the money you are paying in rent is lost forever, prices and interest will not stay where they are at now. We can expect that they will go up. You can have a look at today's article for more information on the cost side but let's also look at it from the missed opportunity side. Suppose you bought a house for $200,000 and home prices go up 5% in a year. That is $10,000 of additional wealth on your home. If you have taken out a mortgage to buy the home, you might have put down some money - say $6000 or even $20,000 but you are earning the 5% on the full value of the house! Try putting the equivalent amount of money in a bank account and see what the return is! Yes - your home IS an investment. Are you ready