Ohio mortgage calculators — model it yourself, then get real numbers.

Most rent-vs-buy calculators quietly stack the deck — they either ignore what you’d pay to sell, or they ignore the equity you build. This one counts both. Over a five-year horizon it compares the total cost of renting against the true net cost of owning, so you see what each path actually leaves in your pocket.

The methodology, stated plainly:

• Rent grows 3% a year — roughly what Cincinnati and Columbus renters have seen over the last decade.
• The home appreciates 3% a year — a conservative long-run figure for Ohio, not a boom-year number.
• Buying costs about 3% of the price up front (lender, title, government fees, prepaid escrows).
• Maintenance runs 1% of the home’s value per year — roofs, furnaces, and the things renters never budget for.
• Selling costs 6% at the exit — commissions and closing, subtracted from the equity you walk away with.
• Five-year horizon — short enough that the selling costs matter, long enough for appreciation and principal paydown to show up.

Ownership cost is net of the principal you paid down and the appreciation you captured, minus what it costs to sell. If the “own” number comes out lower, buying models cheaper; if not, renting does — under these assumptions. Change any of them and the answer moves. Zach will run your real version, with your rent, your rate, and the neighborhoods you’re looking at.