The House Doesn't Always Win When It Comes to Investing

The House Doesn't Always Win When It Comes to Investing, because real estate doesn't typically appreciate much. Instead it pays off a dividend — you get to live there:

Folks think the real-estate game is all about price appreciation. But in reality, long-run gains have been fairly modest, with home prices outpacing inflation by just 1.2 percentage points a year since 1975.

Instead, the big benefit of home ownership comes from the dividend, which is the ability to collect rent or to live rent-free

Remodeling doesn't typically pay for itself in dollars and cents, but in "imputed rent":

Typically, homeowners get back 70 or 80 cents for every $1 they spend. The other 20 or 30 cents? That's gone.