Here's the trick:
My mom is offering a low-interest 4 year loan of around 12k - and that's more money than my wife and I will be able to pull together any time soon due to her student loans and my recent unemployment. It's a one-time deal - she's retiring soon, and she needs the money back.
Now, from reading the conversations here, it looks like the value of HOUSES stays relatively constant, but the value of the LAND is the variable value. So, let's say we take advantage of my mom's largesse, buy a house in the boonies where the house is 90% of the expense, and when the market implodes, we don't lose all that much money, AND we have some equity saved instead of rent, where we can jump to a better location.
Now, if this doesn't work, (and I have a feeling I'm leaving something out of the formula) then let me know I've been smokin' a bit too much of the Peruvian marching powder...
