Although stories like this abound, my uncle was lucky. According to economist Robert Shiller, average US home prices after inflation increased from 1890 to 2004 by about 0.4 percent a year, with the rate being about 0.7 percent in the later 1940–2004 period. It follows from this that making a profit should not be a primary reason for owning your home. You can rent instead and do about as well financially. However, you may want, as I do, the non-quantified benefits of homeownership: You are your own boss, able to make changes and improvements at will without prior approval from a landlord. If
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