<prompt> Human: So I may be working in Seattle area soon. My wife and I both have moderate incomes household 220k. We noticed rent prices are super high compared to where we live now. I have researched the housing market in the area a bit. APR in Washington is pretty high, but we could afford a 15 or even 10 year fixed mortgage on median houses in the Tacoma and Kent areas.The thing is lots of the rentals we would like, our monthly rent will literally cost more than a 10 year fixed mortgage payment. And obviously the concern in renting is it is just draining money. Then again, buying a house hoping to flip in 3-5 years seems like a lot of risk obviously. From what I can tell the market is very strong in the Seattle area, like vastly superior to the current median for the US, and that is also concerning. The market is high but still rising so perhaps there is room for equity in the end.It is just a thought. Reddit is not the first step in my research and definitely not going to be my decision maker. However, advice is very welcome.Edit: I had a few common questionsremarks but have been away.- My work will be in Kent- My wifes exact job location is uncertain, but in progress. Seems most likely Seattle as I guess thats where most of the work is- No kids, thats after the 3-5 years hopefully- I actually work middle of the night... So commute is not actually too big a concern for me.  <response>: Buy, but get a 30 year mortgage and put as little down as possible.Why? Limits your risk to a collapse of the housing market there and that can be worth paying more interest for the short period you are there. Washington is a non-recourse state, you can walk away from your mortgage and other than the hit to your credit they cant do anything but foreclose on the house.If it works out and house prices go up another 10 or more while you are there that will cover your selling costs and higher interest expenses. If housing prices go up substantially youll obviously make money. If they stay flat or drop 5 you are probably no worse off than if you rented. If they take a 10 hit or more you have the option of walking away if you choose. 