Last year I bought this house for $190,000 (a steal for this neighborhood) the next day it appraised for $225,000. Bonus!
I make 1/2 of a mortgage payment every 2 weeks (which includes taxes, ins, etc.) and the bank auto-debits it right out of my account so i'm NEVER late and it shows up as good credit.
By the end of my loan, the extra payments will have shortened it by 8 years and $40,000!!
This year i've put in a swimming pool, a new deck and a stone patio. We mainly bought in this area because it will have excellent resale value when/if we move on.