Gallup: Real Estate is Best Long-Term Investment 4 Years Running. Historically, real estate has made many families and famous people very wealthy. The majority of Americans favor real estate as the best long-term investment - and for good reason. At the very basic level of one home - your wealth increases dramatically over that of a renter. Have a look at the inforgraphic in today's article. You can see how other investments stack up compared to real estate. And, you know you cannot live in any of the other investments. Are you ready to begin the journey to increased wealth