Is your home an investment?

If the hope for future price increases isn't an investment than what is it?
According to this article the average house price in Vancouver for November was $519,294, down about $29,000 from the previous month. Now I don't know about you, but anything I buy for more than a half million dollars is going to be a fairly major purchase in the grand scheme of things, and $29,000 represents some nice renovations, a chance to buy more space or a few really nice vacations.
Maybe I should be unconcerned about the historical ups and downs of the real estate market since my home is not an investment, but if its not an investment then why is it so much more expensive to buy then it is to rent the same property?
<< Home