Several factors could explain why the homeownership rate remains relatively high.

They've been a life saver, and have provided many updates and repairs to my home to maintain the value and quality of the home.

Especially if you have a short high season which is also the time that you want to be there.

To @Bruce Lynn point, the rents are not high compared to house values right now - shortage of supply is driving up the prices.  

I've done it four times in and around Chicago so I highly recommend it.

One of the biggest complaints with DSTs is the high cost/fees associated with them.

If not, I would highly recommend doing so!

However, by doing so, it reduced my cost of living by over $600 a month, and I was able to purchase a fully remodeled property that allowed me to market to the highest quality tenants in the area, and I had a 2 year lease signed before my first mortgage payment was due.  

So we've got a return of 23% on our first and a return of 175% on our second.TL;DR - Are owning free and clear assets better than having high rate of return? 

However, real estate values (on a national average) have never gone down over a 10-year period. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MSPUSHere is what I do:I live in San Diego, a high-appreciating market with a lot going for it economically and very little cash flow.