Originally Posted by RawAlex

Even with that 10% drop, I would assume by now that those properties have picked that 10% back up... or will in the near future.

Alex one very important thing: If you are buying a house to live in yourself, and you stay there more than two years, all of the money you get when you sell it is tax free (provided it is a single family home, not a duplex or other form of revenue property). Capital gains on stocks if you were to sell 300k worth of stocks in a year would hurt.

At bare minimum, make sure you own where you live, even if it is a condo or whatever. That is effectively a free investment that will pay you in the end. Most "old family wealth" comes from the asset of the family home and revenue properties.