I'm not a big fan of year over year statistics, especially when it comes to real estate. They might be okay if one is tracking one's investment, but I don't think real estate should be used as an investment, unless it's a long-term investment.

I know it is tempting to sell one's home when it's appreciated 30% in the last year and take all that cash, but what is one going to do then? One still needs a place to live, but it's highly likely that in the real estate boom times, all the other homes have probably appreciated 30% in the last year, too. Granted, you might be able to make an appropriate down payment on the new home while putting some of that extra cash in one's bank account, but all that will do is get you into the habit of buying and selling real estate like stocks and bonds, and if the market takes a downward plunge like it has during the past four years, then one could using that extra cash -- and more! -- to make ends meet.

It's a habit that I personally prefer not to get into, and I think that if we could get people to actually buy homes and live in them while raising their families, perhaps even dying in those homes -- instead of buying and selling homes every two years like a stock or bond -- then we've have a more stable real estate market, and perhaps even a more stable economy.

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This week's posts (they'll open in a new window):

1. SST (Speechless Sunday with Text): Daisy tree (really!) - 5/17/09
2. Does the doggy (butt) come with it? - 5/15/09
3. WWW (Wordless Wednesday with Words): Pictures of the different cat breeds - 5/13/09
4. Renter, house sitter, and stager all rolled into one - 5/11/09
5. Growth Leader, Week Four - 5/11/09

Last week's posts (they'll open in a new window):

1. The hobo and the cat - 5/9/09
2. Say hello to Abby, my neighbor's three-legged dog - 5/9/09
3. Volunteer opportunities with Lions, Tigers & Bears in Alpine, California - 5/9/09
4. Volunteer opportunities with the Pacific Southwest Railway Musuem - 5/9/09
5. Restaurant review: La Jolla Brew House - 5/9/09
6. WWW (Wordless Wednesday with Words): Please take care of Old Glory - 5/6/09
7. Upcoming garden tours in San Diego County - 5/5/09
8. Balboa Park chooses waterwise landscaping - 5/5/09
9. Wasteful water practices apparently end for CalTrans - 5/5/09

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