hmmm - depends on if you consider having an asset you call home so bloody big with a huge price ticket - makes one wealthy
personally, I don't think it does - because wealth is only wealth if you can capitalize on it (and, pretty quickly) - if the 'wealth' is in the home and you sell the home - there goes your income stream.
I remember a friend who had a fairly expensive property in the country several years back and he had a stroke - couldn't work and his wife was full time caring for a few years (he's since recovered) - he said it was dreadfully hard because they didn't have any income and the property asset value didn't allow them to get any social security at all
he said - what do they expect you to do - rip a few planks off the wall and sell them whilst you wait to get better
selling the place would have been long and hard unless they took a pittance - then, they would have had no home and no income later if he recovered
