borrow at 8% for a 2% net return ? ouch, page-67

"- If i buy a house for 500K today and it's worth 500K five years from now that is not a little less, it's a LOT less."

1) For the majority it is not relevant, as it is a home NOT an investment.
2) It may be worth less in a time scale of 5 years but that is unlikely to be the case over longer time scales
3) The value of the capital is ONLY part of the investment.

"UT when you look at an investment the only thing that matters is the TOTAL RETURN. Nothing else."

No it isn't - if for a small outlay I can secure an asset that will start paying itself off in the near future that is all that matters as you build wealth through slow accumulation.

"Don't get me wrong in some ways i wish i was older and i could have flipped properties from 2000-2008. Anyone who did so made great returns....but just because they have it doesn't mean that's how it's going to be in the next ten years, or do you envision the same level of growth???"

There will likely be slow growth overall in the next 10 years - a great accumulation period.

"If you beleive prices will stay flat for five or ten years (or even LONGER) the difference in buying today and in five or ten years time is that you would have saved alot of money,"

You may have saved that money but most wont!

"even if you didn't save/invest money not going to rent because your real return is negative."

Not really as you will have something you wouldn't have otherwise even if in dollar terms it is worth the same in 10 years as it is today which will be allot more than the renter that didn't save. In 10 years the owners mortgage will be decreasing, while the renter's rent will be increasing.