So for people starting out in the real world with little savings there's really only one mainstream choice for shelter: renting. Which is, to say, a money-pit. As far as I know, there is no credit score bonus for being a good tenet. Your money just goes nowhere. If you want to gain the benefits of an inverstment in the place you live and actually own a piece of property, the next step, up in price that is, is buying or leasing to buy a condo. After that a house. All very obvious. And in its current state, usually WAY out of the reach of the lower middle class. Think $800k-$1Mil MINIMUM for a good house (and $500k for a crappy one). There's not much in the way of increasing savings besides the old fashioned way either, which is pretty much an impossible road to home ownership. You need to invest, which is also very difficult if your cost of living keeps you from dropping that $500 to $1k startup requirement in a money market or stock program. But I digress slightly....

The thing that gets me is that the requirements for a loan on even a condo in an urban environment are out of the reach of a lot of hardworking people who want a place of their own and don't want to throw their money down the tube in rentals anymore. My solution is this: apartments to own. Or more appropriately, small condos to own. Put a condo community, or apartment block, out on the market where people can buy 1 or 2 bedroom apts for the price of a 'luxury' car (talking BMW, not Asti Martin here), say $50K, and let them build equity and credit with the lending companies so that they can make the jump to the next ladder. Condo style amenities would make the bulk of the profit for the company by way of 'community fees'. It probably wouldn't be a lucrative as a regular apartment complex, but may have the added benefit of creating a steadier income to the community owners.