Do you think buying a house is as good a long term investment today as it was forty years ago?

Some reports I've read claim that financially it's actually better to rent. The real upside for me is not having to abide by someone elses rules. I can paint the walls any damn color I want & pull the carpet up or whatever I want to do. Of course repairs, taxes & insurance are my responsibility too. So it's a trade off. But the housing market is not what it used to be.

Depends where it is---location, location, location. . . and also what you plan to do with it as it relates to what you want out of life.

If you plan on staying in a certain area longterm, then it might be a better investment as opposed to renting, or if you move around a lot, or don't want the responsibility of a house, then it might be wise to rent. Also, renting out the house as a money-making venture if it happens to be in a tourist-area/beach/waterfront, could be a wise investment, even if you rent for yourself.

Not for the people who couldn't afford them in the first place but even if the bottom has fallen out of the present market, if you bought your house 40 years ago and sell it now you should still make a profit.

There are a lot of factors you should consider, but in general. If you can afford it, yes. A house appreciates in value. Can't go wrong with something that is going to be worth more than you paid for.

I think so. So long as you buy one that you can see still living in 10-15+ years into the future.

Sure, I guess so.

While most home appreciate in value, not all do. Buying a house should be a very careful consideration. There are several factors that could make a home depreciate in value.

Where I live, homes are selling for significantly less than they did ten years ago. A major factor has to do with the school district. Ten years ago, the school district owned land in this suburb where they planned "for sure" to build the new needed high school. Realtors were happy as a pig in shit because these homes around here couldn't be sold fast enough. We have an excellent elementary and the promise of a brand new high school made this hot area even hotter. Forward to today....voters have still not passed the building of a new high school. Now the district is trying harder by saying they will promote diversity by bussing from the city to the suburb and from here to the city. So, if and when the new high school gets built, a kid could live directly across the street from it, but still be bussed into a city high school.

If you can afford it, of course it is. I've never rented from anyone and probably (never say never) won't ever. I'm in a different situation because my house was given to my siblings and I by my parents in their divorce settlement, albeit I'm the only who still lives in it.

It's only a good investment now if you buy it bank-owned to flip or plan to stay there for about 5 years.

Don't believe it's better to rent unless you KNOW you don't plan on being stationary or your credit needs a "second chance." Apartment complexes are profiting off the fact that people are simply scared to buy or can't pass a credit check.

And honestly, everyone else's fear is a homebuyer's gain right now. Around here, apartment complexes have been popping up on every corner and a one bedroom starts at about $900 if you're in a decent neighborhood--the same one bedroom was probably $650 4-5 years ago. Meanwhile, I've been looking at 3 bedroom townhouses in the range of $45k-$80k....that's no more than $700/mo and it's a tax write-off (unless it's a condo, then that's a whole different story). I can buy it at $80k, ASSESSED at $129, and "make" $49k just like that! These prices may not be going anywhere any time soon, but they have to go up eventually.