The best investment you can make is the roof over your head. Not only does Uncle Sam subsidize your investment with fantastic tax breaks, but you can invariably count on a gratifying profit when it comes time to sell. In recent years, some of those gains have been spectacular.

How does the government subsidize the home buyer? First, you might be able to get a federally backed mortgage through ‘the FHA or VA. Even if yours is a conventional mortgage, you get the biggest tax break of all. Uncle Sam says the interest you pay on the loan is tax deductible; this can be a huge deduction. For the first seven to ten years you own your home, over 85% of your monthly payments amount to interest. When you sell after two years, there is no capital gains tax on the first $500,000 profit from the sale.

If you don’t own a home — even a vacation home or condo —you are missing outon a fantastic investment.