I guess it's a good thing for homeowners that there are other considerations than financial ones in their favor. I think the decision to build or buy a house rather than renting has a lot in common with starting your own business rather than working for someone else:

The risk is higher, and the reward may or may not be any good, but at the end of the day you get to make the decisions. I think that has more value than most of HN tends to acknowledge.