Grant Cardone Tells Young People to Rent, Wait for Wealth Before Buying a Home

November 2, 2026 - 05:51

Buying a house is supposed to be the moment adulthood gets its official stamp of approval. The keys, the mortgage, the sudden urge to browse lawn mowers. But real estate entrepreneur Grant Cardone has a different idea for young people, and it goes against just about everything the traditional financial playbook teaches.

Cardone's advice is blunt. He tells young people to hold off on buying a home until they are, in his words, super wealthy. Until that point, he says, renting is the smarter move. The reasoning is simple: a mortgage ties up a huge chunk of income every month, and that money could be doing more productive work elsewhere. By renting, a young person can keep costs lower and redirect the leftover cash toward something he considers far more valuable, which is investing in themselves.

That could mean building skills, starting a business, or simply keeping financial flexibility while income is still growing. Cardone argues that a house is often treated as an automatic milestone rather than a calculated decision, and that buying too early can lock people into payments that limit their options for years.

His stance runs against the common belief that owning property is always the first step toward building wealth. For Cardone, wealth comes first, and the house can wait until the numbers make sense.