Housing costs are rising faster than wages - making it more and more difficult for people to own their own homes.  Up here in Alaska, where heating oil costs are also rising, we have to compensate by super insulating our homes - driving up the cost even more.  It's hard to afford a decent home these days.

Jacob and I had a chance to buy a burned house a couple of years ago, and this year is the year for us to build a house on the existing foundation.  We plan to