Based on your financial expertise, provide your response or viewpoint on the given financial question or topic. The response format is open.

Is Real Estate ever a BAD investment? If so, when?
There's an aspect to real estate that's under-discussed. When you take all factors into account, it just about keeps up with inflation over the long term.  Three factors: Now - when you normalize all of this, calculating the "hours worked" needed to pay for the median home, you find a nearly flat line at just over 40 or so hours of pay per month.