Jon, I am afraid I don't agree with the above paragraph. Property taxes and maintenance are certainly not the only expenses left after mortgage is paid off. The opportunity cost of money tied up in home equity can easily make home ownership more costly than renting.
For example, say I got $250,000 cash right now. I can either invest it in the stock market or I can buy a house using cash. With the stock market, I get dividends and capital gain. With the house, I get rent saved and home value appreciation. Therefore, home ownership should be evaluated just like a stock purchase. Let's say my monthly rent is $1500, that's $18,000 yearly. Property tax should be $2500 and maintenance is usually estimated as 1-2% of the home value, that's another $2500. The net rent saved is $13000, or 5.2% yield, which is good, but not spectacular considering that home appreciation are historically much slower than capital gain. In certain cities (like Toronto), the yield is probably even lower due to the unfavorable rent/price ratio.
Another issue with home ownership is living above one's need. Because home purchase is such a major investment, people tends to leave rooms for growth. For example, they will usually budget for future children, inlaw visitings, etc...., which means a couple can live in a 3-4 bedroom home unnecessarily. Thus causes significant drains on a family's finances.
I still think home ownership is not a bad investment, especially considering the favourable tax treatments. However, I don't think it's necessarily helpful for the road to financial independence.