"This house is a bank. We'll never pay it off."

Carol Lloyd's mother might've realized that ahead of the curve.

When my parents built the monster home that they later sold at a loss, they told the kids that they would refinance it for college money. That didn't happen, but they were also part of the wave of people who understood that a house is more than a home -- it's a credit card big enough to live in.

As a renter, I don't have that. My $700 share of the rent builds up nothing but the right to live at McGee's Farm for another month. That's fine for now.