That’s a one-time trick, and it only really works if you were already wealthy enough to own in a HCOL area to begin with. Plus “moving to a less desirable area

That’s a one-time trick, and it only really works if you were already wealthy enough to own in a HCOL area to begin with. Plus “moving to a less desirable area” doesn’t really dovetail with most people’s assumption of “increased personal wealth”. It is sometimes a good option for retiring somewhere cheap, which absolutely reflects a real increase in net worth. But it’s far from liquid worth and requires steep compromises not everyone is a fan of.