As with anything, approach it rationally. Is there a home you want to buy, and can you put 20% down today, and can you afford the monthly payments + property taxes + insurance + random repairs that you'll have to make? If so, it's not a bad investment; after all, you have to live somewhere. As with any investment, there is some risk. Your neighborhood could become bad. The entire house could be supported only by dead termites. But most of the time, the horror scenarios you read about don't happen; you enjoy living there, and sell it some years down the road for well more than you paid into the loan. It's worth considering over pure investment vehicles; you can't live in an ETF, and there are no tax breaks.
With mortgages at over 6% and personal loans at 8-9% (according to my local credit union) I'm not sure if it's that much better and if deductions would offset high interest rates, but it's definitely a nice kickback.
Be careful investing on things/markets you don't fully understand.