This is the granddaddy of home buying myths. Most people promoting a home purchase don't even describe it as a purchase or a transaction, it's simply "The biggest investment you'll ever make"

An investement is the setting aside of money or capital in order to gain proitable returns. When you are buying a home are you doing so to make money? If not then you are not investing.

Yes, at the back of your mind you may expect your house to increase in value. You may have seen homeowners get "rich" during the boom. But if you are buying a home then the profits are secondary.

Those who buy houses with an eye to the potential returns are not buying homes. They are investing or speculating.

If that's what's important to you then by all means invest. But don't read a Home Buyers Guide. Go to the Investors Guide and do it properly.

If you are not clear about your goal for buying a house you leave yourself open to the worst of both worlds. A house that doesn't feel like a home and isn't a good investment.

That doesn't mean that you should ignore the financial benefits of buying the right house at the right price. Do it right and you may well get both a home and a solid return.