The UK doesn't have tax incentives for mortgages any more, but they're still popular. I think the big distinction is that -- unlike nearly anything else you mi

The UK doesn't have tax incentives for mortgages any more, but they're still popular. I think the big distinction is that -- unlike nearly anything else you might buy on credit -- houses don't really depreciate. Even without the overall rising house prices, relatively few people value a 20 year old house at a meaningful premium over a similarly-sized 40 year old house. So it's comparatively easy to justify as an asset counter-balancing the debt.