Free Republic

Home ownership has been the foundation of middle-class stability and security for so long that it defines middle-class status as much as income. From the end of World War II in 1945 on, the deal was simple: buy a house and you'll build equity that's even better than a savings account because you get the tax break of deducting mortgage interest and you get a roof over your head at a cost that's equal to or even lower than renting a house. Once you've paid off the mortgage, the costs of ownership drop, enabling a secure retirement.Every one of these...

Houses have become stocks... the higher the price, the more demand (especially as the government has your back with low down-payment loans and the re-emergence of IOs). With Existing Home Sales soaring to a SAAR of 5.49 million, the highest since early 2007, the fact that median home prices are at an all-time high appears to be any problem for the releveraging American (or Chinese) homebuyer.  Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says backed by June's solid gain in closings, this year's spring buying season has been the strongest since the downturn. "Buyers have come back in force, leading to the...