House Lust

The collapse of the housing market is this year's big business story, but it's a crisis driven by more than simple economics. Like the dot-com boom before it, our soaring home values were fueled partly by psychology, as so many of us dreamed of trading up, building from scratch or renovating—and as so many dinner parties devolved into real estate gossip. In "HOUSE LUST: America's Obsession with our Homes," NEWSWEEK's Resident Expert Daniel McGinn explores why so many Americans became so enamored with homes—and why many remain so even after the boom has faded.