After house hunting for six months in the Bay Area, I've seen prices drop only slightly, yet everyone keeps saying it's a buyer's market. But with mortgage rates above 7%, my monthly payment on a median-priced home is still over $4,000—that's more than half my take-home pay. Is renting forever the smarter financial move now, or are we just delaying the inevitable? I've crunched the numbers and renting seems better short-term, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm missing out on equity. What are others doing in high-cost cities?