I disagree. Unless you are a nomad, having a home is a great investment. The thing is, most people buy a house already all pretty and whatnot. IE, at market value.

What I do is buy the undervalued house and live in it while I work on the projects that it needs. That is why my house went from $98K to $177 in just a short time, because my market is NOT a hot one. It was just picking the correct house with eyes towards profit.