Hewlett Packard ( HPQ ) moved down on news it was entering into a bidding war with Dell for 3Par ( PAR ). Those are the words of Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. During the 1970s real home prices increased 1.1 percent a year after inflation, which more or less proves the old adage of considering real estate more as shelter for your family, instead of it being a nest egg for your retirement.