Interesting write-up. But the old adage is always location, location, location. And of course, you need to also own the land the home is sitting on.

For me, buying a home is less of an investment, but more of having a fixed routine. Shuffling between rentals whenever there is a massive rent increase or the place gets sold, is so disruptive and stressful. In Australia whereby the rental market is so tight, it can take months to find a decent place that doesn't take 30-40% of monthly paycheck.