For our parent's generation the goal was to buy a home, pay...

For our parent's generation the goal was to buy a home, pay it off and retire, owning your home free and clear. Now, most people's goal is to buy a home that you can afford, live in it for a while until it appreciates, then buy something more expensive, live in it for a while and wait for it to appreciate, and so on. Then finally sell and buy something smaller free and clear for retirement. People look at their homes as a tool, a vehicle, an investment.