Layer 1 / 7Concepts & question
Frame the question
Set the purpose, the question worth reasoning about, and the concepts the whole house rests on.
Purpose
Decide whether to buy or continue renting a home, so the reasoning accounts for local market conditions, opportunity cost, lifestyle flexibility, and long-term wealth building.
Overarching question
Should I buy or rent in my city?
Key concepts
Price-to-rent ratioOpportunity costTransaction costsEquity building
Layer 2 / 7Stakeholders
Build the perspectives
Reason from each stakeholder in turn. Assign perspectives to co-builders so the work divides cleanly.
3 perspectives
The renterYOYou62
Values flexibility and lower upfront commitment.
The prospective buyerMRMaya R.60
Wants to build equity and lock in housing costs.
A financial plannerDKDevan K.66
Compares total cost of ownership against investing the difference.
Layer 3 / 7Sourced facts
Ground it in evidence
Add facts with citations. Research Mode finds sources for you, and every claim links back to something checkable.
3 sourced facts
YO
Average transaction costs (closing, agent fees, transfer taxes) run 8–10 percent of sale price, requiring years of appreciation to recoup.
Illustrative demo evidence, not a citation
DK
A price-to-rent ratio above 20 historically signals that buying is more expensive than renting on a monthly-cost basis.
Illustrative demo evidence, not a citation
Investing a down payment in a diversified index fund has historically returned more than residential real estate appreciation in most U.S. metros.
Illustrative demo evidence, not a citationvia Research Mode
Layer 4 / 7Foundations
Surface the assumptions
Name what has to be true for the reasoning to hold. Weak footings show up here first.
3 foundational assumptions
01The buyer qualifies for a conventional mortgage at prevailing rates.YO
02Rent increases track inflation, not speculative spikes.MR
03The buyer would actually invest the savings from renting rather than spending them.DK
Layer 5 / 7Where it lands
Draw the conclusion
State the central conclusion and the reasoning that carries the perspectives into it.
Central conclusion
Rent unless you expect to stay at least five years in the same city, the local price-to-rent ratio is below 20, and you have a down payment that does not drain your emergency fund.
Buying is a leveraged, illiquid bet on one asset in one location — it builds wealth only when the holding period and market conditions cooperate.
Reasoning summary
Transaction costs (closing, selling, moving) typically take five-plus years to recoup, so short stays favor renting on pure math. The price-to-rent ratio captures whether local prices have outrun local rents, which is the clearest signal of whether ownership pencils out. The flexibility cost of owning is real but hard to quantify — it matters most for people early in their careers or likely to relocate.
Layer 6 / 7Consequences
Trace the implications
Map what follows if the conclusion holds, sorted by how positive, negative, or uncertain each consequence is.
4 implications mappedSorted by register and tagged with time horizon and who it lands on.
Positive · 2
Locked-in housing costs and forced savings through mortgage payments.
Long-termThe prospective buyer
Freedom to relocate for career or lifestyle without selling overhead.
Near-termThe renter
Negative · 1
Maintenance, taxes, and insurance add 1–2 percent of home value annually on top of the mortgage.
Long-termThe prospective buyer
Uncertain · 1
Local market direction over the expected holding period.
Long-termA financial planner
Signals to watch · would change the conclusion
→Mortgage rates relative to rental yield in the target neighborhood.
→Local zoning changes that could shift supply and prices.
Layer 7 / 7Score & publish
Review house strength
See how the house scores across evidence, logic, and coverage, what is driving each number, and what would raise it.
54/ 100
Developing
The reasoning is taking shape but leans on thin support. Add evidence and coverage before publishing.
The three scores
EvidenceDeveloping68
How well each claim is backed by a cited, checkable source.
Driving this score3 sourced facts
LogicThin51
Whether assumptions are surfaced and the conclusion follows from them.
Driving this score3 assumptions, no conclusion, 4 implications
CoverageThin37
The range of stakeholder perspectives the house accounts for.
Driving this score3 perspectives
How the overall is weightedEvidence 40% · Logic 35% · Coverage 25%