Pffffttt.

The article reports that while nearly a quarter of the homes bought in the United States in 2004 were investments, not residences, real estate is generally a poor way of generating return on investment. A chart created by economist Robert Shiller suggests that people overestimate returns on home purchases. From 1890 to 2004 real home values rose by an average of only 0.4 percent a year. The chart also shows that the current boom is almost unprecedented historically.