The myth of homeownership as an investment is wreaking untold damage

2026-03-01 04:38 UTC

The truth is that homes deliver enormous non‑financial value — stability, community, belonging. Those are reasons to buy. But as financial assets, they come with structural constraints: They are expensive to maintain, difficult to trade, impossible to diversify, and usually purchased with significant leverage. The investment component is real but volatile, and its return path can be long and uneven. For home buyers now facing losses, this is not an individualized failure. It is the predictable outcome of society promoting an undiversified, illiquid, highly leveraged asset as if it were the ultimate life goal. theglobeandmail.com/…/article-the-myth-of-homeown…

Replies (10)

@melsaskca@lemmy.ca 2026-03-01 13:40

Pass a law that corporations or businesses cannot own family dwellings and BOOM!...rent decreases and purchase opportunities throughout the land.

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@Mika@piefed.ca 2026-03-01 10:02

Like, then don't buy it as an asset, buy it as home? Its not like people can just wait for some 20 years without home for crash to happen, and crash would likely be tied to some event where everyone loses their jobs or banks fall of whatever.

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@TheDoctorDonna@piefed.ca 2026-03-02 15:35

It's almost as if homes shouldn't be a commodity.

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@sbv@sh.itjust.works 2026-03-01 04:41

OMG *three* pieces from the Globe about Canada's fucked up housing policy and how it's screwing us.

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@fodor@lemmy.zip 2026-03-01 09:22

Right... And rent prices are stable? Jesus fuck. At least try to draw a comparison.

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@ikidd@lemmy.world 2026-03-01 17:05

You need shelter. You can pay money and have nothing at the end, or you can put it into equity. Owning a home is the best investment you'll make in your life. The maintenance costs are trivial. Beg, borrow or steal whatever you need to afford the shittiest little thing you can afford and upgrade later. House prices going down in Toronto are not a reason to ignore the value of home ownership. They're an opportunity to get yourself out of rentals. This author is on drugs.

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@fourish@lemmy.world 2026-03-03 04:27

Value is not living with in-laws. Priceless.

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@kablez@lemmy.world 2026-03-03 03:42

Cries upside down (Australian)

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@baka@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2026-03-01 14:29

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@maplesaga@lemmy.world 2026-03-01 10:53

The Federal government is currently buying half of all mortgage bonds to inflate prices with cheap debt and printed money, as new housing minister who ruined Vancouvers housing market Gregor Robinson says housing is an investment. Don't elect liberals if you don't want the poor to be destroyed by a regressive home prices.

Open ##1890727