Book review of "Houseonomics" online at LATimes.com

Still playing that 'woulda, shoulda, coulda' game about not selling off any real estate assets during the boom? Fear not, as the book "Housenomics" takes an entirely different approach on how to value real estate, and you can find my review of the book for the Los Angeles Times online here:

With home prices continuing to fall -- and expected by many experts to decline further before finding a bottom -- it's very easy to play that "woulda, shoulda, coulda" game and envision how life might have been different had you sold that home back in 2005 and run off with the profit to Tahiti.

But in their new book "Houseonomics: Why Owning a Home Is Still a Great Investment," authors Gary N. Smith and Margaret H. Smith would argue against that type of thinking entirely, because it ignores what they call the "home dividend."

In fact, they contend that for most people in most places, now is a good time to own a home. In some areas of the country -- such as Indianapolis, Atlanta and New Orleans -- homes can even provide double-digit after-tax returns...