Most of the value is in the land. And historically the prices have gone up over the long term, so your leveraged investment allows you to get more returns. Als

Most of the value is in the land. And historically the prices have gone up over the long term, so your leveraged investment allows you to get more returns. Also, unlike stocks, if housing falls, at least you get utility from it-- you live in it. Finally, there are many neighborhoods in the US where the rental options are pretty limited. You need to buy to live a lot of places.