Y do most Portuguese people feel the need to own their own house/flat?
Let's look at some facts:
To buy a flat, you seldomly (if ever) have all the necessary money. Thus, you go to a bank and ask for a loan - the process, by itself, is a pain in the ass. By the time you finish paying off the loan, the house/flat cost you around 10-20% more, or even higher. Also, you'll also be paying that loan over the course of 30 to 40 years. Although life expectancy is increasing, there's a big chance that the flat will never trully be yours. Hence, the argument that buying is better than renting, because at least you're paying for something that will be yours, may not be true.
A big advantage of renting is that you can move out whenever you want, if you get tired of living in the same place. Selling the flat, on the other hand, can be troublesome, unless you own a penthouse in the center of a cosmopolitan city. Also, you don't have to play all the sort of taxes that ownership implies.
You can always argue that, at least, you'll leave something for your kids (if you have any). Hello? If you're buying your own house/flat, you didn't get it from your parents. If your kids want some place to live in, they must work to get it.
Suffice to say I won't be convinced to buy a flat anytime soon.
And this serves only as an example, since most people feel the need to own everything that they surround themselves with. A theme for a future discussion.
