Many people would be better off renting, especially if .gov didn't incentivize ownership. If nothing else owning restricts mobility, and thus access to better employment opportunities or just happier living conditions. You can't always just sell and move, depends on your current credit score, interest rates, and home valuation relative to when you bought. I have a good friend, single mom, who's been living that nightmare for years. Bought right before 2008, upside down for years, if she sold today she'd lose all the money she put in over the years. She really wants to get out of dodge...