Can you OBJECTIVELY explain to me why owning a house is a "good" FINANCIAL investment?

It's a good investment if you were going to be spending that amount in rent anyways. The problem is that people often do not consider the total cost of owning a home, the taxes, the insurance, the maintenance etc. When looking for a house, people often see just the mortgage payments and say, that's what I'm paying for rent already, might as well have some equity for my money but they fail to consider the taxes, insurance, maintenance, their own time and possibly the additional commute. Needless to say, owning a home can be a good investment but it's rarely evaluated properly and hence rarely is a good investment. As with any investment, if you didn't do your homework before you buy, then it's not a good investment.