What advantage does that offer compared to just having cheaper housing and putting the difference in other investments? To me it certainly seems worse than oth

What advantage does that offer compared to just having cheaper housing and putting the difference in other investments? To me it certainly seems worse than other retirement approaches. You are forced into making a single asset a huge percentage of your net worth, which utterly destroys your diversification. Real estate is also notoriously illiquid, so if something forces you out of the area, you could take an enormous loss. If someone proposed another retirement investment strategy with these characteristics that didn't involve your home, people would say, "I'll pass... that sounds like a really bad deal."