I didn't mean even tax advantages or favorable financing. The heart of the issue is that we have a national policy of not letting housing prices go down because that would crush too many people's equity and with it their financial stability. The longer it goes, the more we ratchet up the tension between affordable housing and housing as investment.

There's probably a lot to be said about the secondary market for conforming mortgages, but I'm not the knowledgeable person to do so.