"Over the long haul" perhaps yes. However, in this nomadic culture we live in these days, it's "the in between" that can be a killer. The consequences of a nomadic, housing "arbitrage" culture are just starting to be felt. What happens to all of these people who live in Phoenix or Las Vegas or most of Florida, etc, etc if/when they bought a property in the past 1-2 years? Has anyone seen the sky inventory of homes on the market in these places?
So let's just assume someone had the misfortune of actually buying the highs in one of these markets and, God forbid, they didnt actually want to live there for 30 whole years. I mean it's not unreasonable that someone might want to move before the 30 years are up on the mortgage. What happens when they try to sell into a soft market? What if they have to move for any number of different reasons?
Why is it that all the home vs. renting advocates are too insecure to actually illustrate the numerous obstacles to home ownership if you don't actually stay situated in one place for the duration? Instead, we hear the littany of benefits.
(Oh and FWIW, for all you guys who think that no one has ever lost significant money being a home buyer in the US, why don't you take a look at Buffalo, NY? The place has hundreds of homes for sale in the low 5 figures).