[HangThemHigh]

"The idea was that purchasing a home is an investment. But the home you own is not an investment. An investment pays you money. Rental property is an investment. The house you live in is a liability, which increases proportionately with its size. "

While not an investment in the usual sense of the term, a home does tend to increase in value and is not really terribly different from a stock that doesn't pay a dividend. Many folks have funded their retirement by the sale of their primary residence and downsizing or even (shudder) a reverse mortgage.

[moneyrunner]

HangThemHigh,

I work with over two hundred retirees. Virtually none have used their home to fund their retirement. If they move, it's into a retirement community that costs about the same as the value of their home.

A home absorbs income: mortgages, maintenance, utilities, taxes and insurance are just some of the expenses. Trust me when I say this.

The heirs are probably the only ones to derive financial benefit from home ownership.