In addition, it seems to me that a lot of middle-class homeowners who use this argument would be just as well off (or very close to it) with the standard deduct

In addition, it seems to me that a lot of middle-class homeowners who use this argument would be just as well off (or very close to it) with the standard deduction. I've never owned a house. Am I missing something? EDIT: I live in the Midwest where 2000 sqft in a nice neighborhood is very often less than $200k. This is probably a factor.