Is owning a home really worth it?I was asked that question eight years ago when I bought a home in Powers Tract between Manteca high and Spreckels Park for $184,900.Two years later I was asked if I regretted buying when the market hadn’t completely finished its free fall.The answers for me, anyway, were “yes” it was worth it and “no” I didn’t regret it.Homeownership doesn’t work for everybody nor does it necessarily fit with their future plans or lifestyle.Every year I make an assessment of where I’m going financially and personally when I sit down to see how much money I may have to send off to the IRS and the State Franchise Tax Board.I’ll be the first to tell you not to buy a home based only on income tax savings. That’s like spending $1,000 to save $250. It is plain crazyBut I will tell you in the long haul it makes sense.My yardstick is using a place I was renting that I felt relatively comfortable in.