The purchase of a house in a commercially zoned location would be an optimum choice. You have the inherent appreciation, assuming values will go up, and historically they have. The mortgage payment has it's tax advantages and running it as a business increases the tax advantages. Plus you are building equity with each payment as the principal gets paid off. A win-win situation!

Another consideration is that when you make improvements to a leased property, if you fail the improvements become the property of the landlord. If you improve your own property, at the time of sale those improvements usually add more value to the property.

I had owned and operated my own retail stores for 30 years. As I could not afford to buy in the downtown area I was located in I was a slave to the landlord. Paying rent is like throwing money away versus owning. Owning is definitely the way to go.