Home ownership  Shelter, or burden?   See article  Readers'
comments    Lets be careful to be clear that many of the studies
noted here, regarding the psychological aspects of renters,
their lifestyle, their family, their political position, their
economic position, their civic participation, the educational
habits of their children and the encouragement provided
regarding same, are not only unsubstantiated but have been
vehemently disproved in many cases and through many other
studies. Including so many personal biases about renters might
give one the impression that it is a shared bias.   Another
factor you need to look into is demography of your locale: In
Europe and Japan, we are facing rapid ageing of society, and in
Japan the total population is already on the decline. Therefore,
we are likely to have more and more empty properties that will
either be rented out or redeveloped for sale/rent in these
areas. That means both rent and sale prices are likely to go
DOWN in the long term. Home ownership makes