http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/060415/what-average-... "By any measurement, the real estate sector has outperformed the overall market, even factoring in the drastic collapse in housing prices during the 2008 financial crisis." (I'm not an expert but I recall hearing that much of the recovery from the recession went to real estate owners.)
Granted, every investment vehicle under the sun will have its ups and downs. It's a plausible case that real estate is worth having for its purported counter cyclical properties in some sort of advanced and complicated investment portfolio. From none of that does it follow that owning real estate is some sort of reverse scam where the owners are reaping incredible and reliable riches off the backs of the poor renters as the person I was replying to implied.
