But at the same time most people do the bare minimum to maintain their house, so the quality of the property continually decreases. I don't drive a car for 20 years and then expect to make a profit on selling it.

Your analogy might be applicable to the sale of an RV.

What makes a house that has set outside rotting for 30 years more valuable than the day it was originally purchased?

ChatGPT suggests the land might have appreciated, the neighborhood may be more desirable, inflation, or development potential. We don't need programmers anymore because LLMs can do it. It must be an expert on home values too.

I don't give a rats ass what ChatGPT said. Use your brain. Think for yourself.

Sorry, I don't understand. Can you explain again please?