That's true. And we'll never reach the heights that some did through speculation because every time someone would get the wild idea, someone else would put up a bunch of ticky-tacky McMansions and slap down the prices again. I'm not only thanking my lucky stars that the prices didn't soar just to plummet much faster, I'm thanking my lucky stars that my credit was bad enough during the "boom" times that I didn't take out a new mortgage and rob what equity I have. As it stands, my house is nearly paid off, probably will be in the next year, and since my hubby will be 70 in May, we'll have something to pay us back for all those lean years....maybe even peace of mind.