you can rent and have a garden and rent is cheaper than a mortgage in a comparable area.
when people buy they often have to move further out to a cheaper area to get a mortgage
my mortgage is more than my rent and isn’t as nearly in as nice of a place and convent of a location. on top of that and having to do home reapir (not renovation) i have less disposible income than I did a few years ago.
it’s trade offs. i miss being in a more social area and having more disposible income, and somtimes i regret buying.