Physical artifacts depreciate over time because of wear and tear. They lose value because the object itself is actually degrading. (Though even this isn't cut a

Physical artifacts depreciate over time because of wear and tear. They lose value because the object itself is actually degrading. (Though even this isn't cut and dry because they also gain intangible properties like age and history which are meaningful and valuable to some.) Digital or conceptual artifacts are not subject to the effects of physics and entropy, so do not naturally decay. The text of Moby Dick today is the exact same as it was 100 years ago. A "home" is a combination of those: a physical building sitting on a legally enshrined plot of allocated land. The former depreciates while the latter naturally appreciates.