That's the cost of renting money (mortgage), not owning a home. I saved up cash and bought my home in cash. I did not have closing costs. Only the seller did. My closing cost was the price of the home.

I don't plan to sell. I'm not "investing" in the house. I'm living in it. Essentially, my home eliminates the biggest portion of my monthly expenses. I hope my home value goes down, a lot. Then I pay less on the one expense I do have associated with it: property taxes.