Is renting an apartment really a waste of money as people say it is?

People have constantly told me that renting an apartment-especially those "luxury" apartments that cost like $900-1000. Is a waste. And that I'm just "throwing away" money every month-where in theory-I could pay $1,000 on mortgage payments every month. Well, I don't think living in an apartment is a waste. Why do people say that? I'm single, I live in the midwest, where the cost of living is rather cheap. I can't afford to even buy a house-house repair costs, mowing the lawn, and all those other expenses I would have to pay for myself as opposed to having the maintenance apartment people come and fix it without having to pay. Yeah, maybe an apartment doesn't fit in the income tax papers like buying a home does. But if I can't afford a decent house-why are people shedding tears that paying for a nice apartment is a waste?

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