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Real estate makes up a majority of household wealth

Published: 23 February 2026

To rent or to buy—that’s the dilemma facing many today. Real estate prices are at historic highs, and elevated interest rates have pushed up the cost of homeownership. At the same time, stock markets have delivered strong returns in recent years. Beyond these financial pressures, the nature of homeownership itself adds another layer of complexity.

As Sebastien Betermier, an Associate Professor of Finance at 鶹ýվ Desautels explains, “a house is both an investment, since one hopes to earn a profit from it, and a consumer good, because it is used by living in it — which makes the analysis more complicated.” It also represents a disproportionately large share of most homeowners’ portfolios. In the United States, roughly two thirds of household wealth is tied up in real estate, according to research by Betermier.

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