Podcast Summary: Today, Explained
Episode: The Case for Renting Forever
Date: November 16, 2025
Host: Jonathan (JQ) Hill, with guests including Aisha Roscoe, Jasmine Melvin, Rachel Cohen Booth, and Jerusalem Dempsis
Main Theme
This episode re-examines the enduring American ideal of homeownership by exploring alternative ways people are living—bucking tradition and making a case for why renting (potentially forever) might not just be practical but even preferable. Through the stories of friends, experts, and new living models, the episode challenges homeownership as the pinnacle of adulthood and financial security.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Blending Families and Redefining Traditional Living
- Aisha Roscoe and Jasmine Melvin's Story (01:11 - 10:14)
- Two divorced mothers and longtime best friends buy a house together in D.C. to co-parent their five children.
- Their arrangement is inspired by practical needs (childcare, emotional support, and finances) and the skyrocketing cost of homeownership.
- They emphasize how shared living blurs traditional roles, increases support, and fosters a chosen-family dynamic.
- Notable quote (05:21, Aisha Roscoe):
"If I met a man and I fall in love, we, you know, in two years, we could be, you know, buying houses, having a baby, doing, you know, everything jointly. Right. And no one would look, no one would bat an eye at that. Right. ... So why would I feel more comfortable doing that with them versus buying a house with someone who I've been through thick and thin with?"
2. The State of Housing Affordability
- Expert Perspective from Rachel Cohen Booth (12:33 - 18:42)
- Home prices skyrocketed during the pandemic amidst low interest rates; despite rates now being higher (6–7%), prices haven’t dropped, leading to a market freeze.
- Many “locked in” buyers won’t sell, while new buyers face unaffordable entry, pushing more into long-term renting.
- Renters prioritize affordability and increasingly seek community, fueling new housing models.
- Notable quote (13:47, Rachel Cohen Booth):
"People who haven't bought yet, like me, feel like they may never be able to. So all of that pressure is really pushing people to think differently about housing."
3. New Models: Adult Dorms & Intergenerational Home-Sharing
- Innovative Housing Solutions (14:40 - 18:42)
- Adult Dorms:
- Conversion of empty office buildings into shared “dorm-style” apartments: private bedrooms, shared kitchens/bathrooms, much lower rent.
- Cities like Denver, Seattle, and Minneapolis are exploring these models.
- Notable quote (15:49, Rachel Cohen Booth):
"A lot of people don't mind sharing if it could mean hundreds of dollars cheaper rent a month."
- Intergenerational Home-Sharing:
- Connecting seniors with extra rooms to younger renters needing affordable housing (e.g., via apps like Nesterly).
- Unlocks millions of unused bedrooms across the US, with potential benefits for all parties.
- Notable quote (16:49, Rachel Cohen Booth):
"About 60% of US homes have at least one spare bedroom. ... So these empty bedrooms are starting to look a lot more attractive, both to younger people, but also to older people who could use a little bit of help around their big houses."
- Adult Dorms:
4. Deconstructing the Homeownership Myth
- Jerusalem Dempsis’ Case Against Homeownership (22:09 - 29:18)
- Renting offers valued freedoms: flexibility, less stress, and the ability to live in better locations.
- The financial advantages of ownership are overstated—many overlook the long-term costs (interest, taxes, maintenance), and returns are not guaranteed.
- The cultural bias for ownership is rooted in early 20th-century politics, anti-immigrant sentiment, and American ideals about property as a mark of social status and "stake" in the community.
- Notable quote (22:09, Jerusalem Dempsis):
"Homeownership overrated. That's my take." - Notable quote (23:53, Jerusalem Dempsis):
"All that extra money that you could use to be investing in the stock market, investing in other kinds of, you know, large index funds, that kind of investment is almost guaranteed to be higher than what you're going to get from investing in your house." - Argues for redefining the American Dream in terms of economic and personal freedom rather than homeownership.
- Notable quote (27:57, Jerusalem Dempsis):
"The American dream is always freedom. We've just always pushed this through homeownership. ... I don't think homeownership is freedom for everyone."
Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments
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On Chosen Family and Housing:
- "It's not this thing where we're, like, nickel and diming each other. ... If I eat, you eat. If I got it, you gonna have it." (08:03, Aisha Roscoe)
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On New Housing Solutions:
- “Living in the office. I don't know, the model is like, instead of these full private units where everyone has their own bathroom, each floor would share bathrooms, like at an office building.” (15:11, Rachel Cohen Booth)
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On Money and Friendships:
- "I think it helps that we are both financially stable on our own. ... If I'm watching all the kids, I may order them pizza, order them McDonald's. ... I know she'll pick it up the next time..." (07:46, Jasmine Melvin)
Timestamps for Key Segments
- 01:11 – 10:14
Aisha Roscoe and Jasmine Melvin discuss their joint home and blended family living arrangement - 12:33 – 18:42
Rachel Cohen Booth explains the housing market freeze and alternative living models - 14:40 – 16:41
Adult dorms: converting empty offices to shared housing - 16:49 – 18:42
Intergenerational home-sharing and tech solutions - 22:09 – 29:18
Jerusalem Dempsis presents her critique of homeownership as a financial and social necessity
Flow and Tone
The episode balances personal storytelling with policy expertise and sharp social commentary, maintaining an open, thoughtful, and sometimes playful tone. Listeners get both the emotional realities and the pragmatic calculations behind current housing choices, encouraging an open mind about what counts as “success” in American adult life.
Takeaway
The traditional trajectory of buying a home as the foundation of adulthood and wealth is being upended by both economic realities and new value systems. Sharing space, renting into one's later years, and forming unconventional households are no longer just desperate measures—they may be better suited to our financial and social needs. This episode encourages listeners to think beyond old scripts when planning their futures, making "renting forever" feel like a valid, even liberating, option.