Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

Ireland should end its obsession with home ownership and look at alternatives such as renting or leasing, a former housing adviser to Bill Clinton said today.

Speaking in Athlone today, Nic Retsinas, now a director at the Centre for Housing Studies at Harvard University, said in recent times homes had started to be viewed as an investment opportunity rather than a place to live and raise a family.