[Cyber Liberty]

OK. I see your point. But, since this falls into the "happens so slowly I'll die first" kind of thing, like alleged Global Warming, I'll freely ignore the effect.

But as long as there is inflation, the property side of the home will keep going up.

[oblomov]

Don’t get me wrong- buying a house can be a very smart financial move. Although my property taxes have gone up, since we got a 20-yr fixed mortgage, our P&I is unchanged over the last five years, and since our income has grown, housining has become a smaller and smaller portion of our income over time. Because of the mortgage interest tax deduction, we are financially much better off thatn we would have been had we just rented.

And this does not even consider the intangible value of being able to modify and improve one’s dwelling.

I have no regrets about buying a house five years ago. But I try not to have any illusions about it either.

[MrB]

since this falls into the "happens so slowly I'll die first" kind of thing

The same attitude that a lot of "liberal" Boomers have toward creeping socialism. You can explain the huge danger of it, but they don't care, they'll be gone by then, and they want to enjoy the positive side of it in the mean time.