It may be fairly crude but it sums up why it feels so tough getting in to your first home but also just how much that hard work pays off over time. The basic premise is that when you first buy a home, the gap between your mortgage and the value of your home is quite narrow and that represents your equity. Over time you chip away at paying off the mortgage and house prices inflate which makes that gap grow.  

It makes you feel a bit better off.  For most of us that might be where our parents are and we want to be further along that scale but it's simply a case of getting on the bus and going for the ride! When you throw your personal income in there which generally increases over time as your skills and experience grow, or rental income which also increases with inflation, you really start to see how the gap widens over time and that's how your wealth increases.