Nothing is an investment unless you plan to sell it or benefit from it in some way. Maslow defined the first level of motivation to be Food, Water and shelter. Your home provides you shelter. You benefitted and still are benefitting from it. Somewhere along the line it became customary and widely accepted that a home is a good investment, meaning if you purchase your home, not only will you have a place to live, but you will accrew equity. For many years this worked out for people as the economy grew. The cold hard truth is, as most financial investments are, that they are a gamble. The reality is that if you want to make money in Real Estate, use the wise old philosophy of "buy low, sell high". Otherwise accept the volatilty of the market, sell your house and put the money in the bank..You'll likely be farther ahead.
