I once read an article about how in Japan wealth does not accumulate from generation to generation. The article went on talking about housing valuation and how homes devalue instead of appreciating in value of the course of their life. He article made it sound like a terrible thing. Of course, if you look at it from a personal perspective it IS terrible not being able to pass on appreciated properly to your kids. Who doesn’t want their family to be better off from generation to generation?! But if you think about it from affordability and societal perspective, it isn’t so bad to have your property remain the same value or depreciate. Of course there are other issues to debate there such as environmental pollution that comes with wasted resources every time you build and scrap a new home. The upside is having to live in a new house that’s more affordable than in the western nations.