When we bought our first house, 55 year ago, we gave about $8,000.00 for it, painted it for the down payment, and had payments of about $65.00 mo. for 30 years. We didn't see any way house prices could possiblily get any higher than that, and had to cut corners to make those huge house payment! We have bought and sold five houses, and have lived in the one we haver now for 44 years, and is worth about 8 or 10 times what we gave for it! Buying a house is the best chance working people have of gaining wealth, for many reasons!