re: “smokeless” fire pit - so far so good for urbanites

You likely don't live in Houston or Dallas to say this. I was on Zillow last night, know how much a 1300 sq ft 2 bedroom kinda old looking house costs in inner Houston in the Heights? 650k. Know how much a 3000 sq ft house with 4 bedroom 3 baths just 10 miles west of there in Briarwood, a good part of the city, costs? 400-450k. Outter Houston, like 20 min from downtown, is certainly affordable. Inner Houston is just stupid. I think Dallas market is even more expensive than Houston.

If the houses appreciate the same amount as the Heights as Briarwood, then from an investment standpoint, it doesn't matter. I'd just rather save 200k in addition to getting 1700 more sq ft, 2 more bedrooms and 2 more bathrooms, and actually have a backyard, with the downside being you're 10-15 minutes further from downtown.

I think you have to be dumb to buy a house in inner Houston or have a keeping up with the Joneses mentality. Save that money and put it in the SP500. It'll yield much higher results than what houses appreciate for.