Reason #1 why buying a home is still a good idea:

* A mortgage can function like an automatic savings plan. By now, you've read the news reports about how little Americans save these days. Well every year you pay on your fixed-rate mortgage, is a year of building equity, and equity is like money in the bank. When it's time to sell-whether you've stayed in your home seven years or 30 years-you'll have created equity and should be able to sell your house for more than you owe.