i hear you and I don't disagree. That said: I feel pretty OK about selling my house that has appreciated >100% in 8 years (east LA) and renting a nicer house fo

i hear you and I don't disagree. That said: I feel pretty OK about selling my house that has appreciated >100% in 8 years (east LA) and renting a nicer house for a little less money. Could be that I'm wrong, but at the very least I profited more than $450k for simply buying a house, living in it, and selling it. If nothing else I effectively lived rent-free for the past 8 years and am left with enough cash to pay rent on a similar place for the next 11 years all for the opportunity cost of a down payment.