I know that I’m probably not the norm, but the price means a lot to me. It will determine whether or not one can sell at a profit or loss at various points in the future (lows and peaks of the RE cycle), it can greatly affect one’s net worth, it determines how much that 20% down payment will be, and it will determine how in debt one is.

Personally, I hate debt; the closer I can get to zero, the better (positive/creditor-side is best), whether or not the debt is collateralized. Obviously, other people feel differently, and that’s why I’m always early when trying to determine when markets are peaking.