system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why rent a house when you can buy one and pay for it every month, when you move out just sell it and get profits?
gpt
Buying a house requires one of two things: enough capital to buy it outright, or sufficient credit to get a mortgage.  Not everyone *has* either of these things, especially when one considers that in the latter case it's only worthwhile if the interest rate is sufficiently low to make it a better option than renting.  What improves credit and therefore interest rates?  Having money and/or a high income is a *big* factor.

Then there's the fact that while house prices generally increase overall, they can't be 100% relied upon to do so, and needing to move during a slump could potentially be utterly ruinous in this situation.

TL;DR: if it's viable that often *is* a better option, but it's not accessible to everyone who needs housing.