WEB EXCLUSIVE

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 back in 2005 and run off to Tahiti with the profit.

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

Although it might be odd timing to release such a book, the Smiths make a financial case for ownership versus renting even today. To read the review, go to latimes.com/realestate.