[rbg81]

The biggest item in most people’s budgets is a place to live. While homes could deflate still further, rental costs will likely inflate.

[muawiyah]

You can buy a house in the DC suburbs for $250,000 to $350,000 ~ and rent it out for $2000 to $2700 per month.

That would enable you to pay off the mortgage before you'd exhausted the depreciation.