REAL ESTATE � THE UPS AND DOWNS OF OWNING A HOME, ON "20/20," AIRING JUNE 22 ON ABC

Whether it is a dream or becomes a nightmare, owning a home is most people's biggest investment. "20/20" explores the real deal about real estate -- what you should know before buying, selling or building -- FRIDAY, JUNE 22 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. Reports include:

� Getting Rich with Real Estate � Could the first step towards getting rich be as simple as investing in a home? Financial advisor David Back insists that buying a house is the ticket to financial freedom. He tells Deborah Roberts that "You can't get rich if you're a renter. The American dream of home ownership has really separated the rich from the poor in this country." Back, author of the book The Automatic Millionaire: Homeowner, offers tips on buying a home. "20/20" puts the tips to the test with two families from Detroit and Fresno in the market for their first homes. (OAD May 2006)

� Tricks of the Trade � How do you know if you're getting the most you can get when selling your home? John Stossel reports on some of the tricks in the real estate business, including key words in classified ads. Stossel talks to the authors of the bestselling book Freakonomics, which explains that conventional wisdom is often wrong. Additionally, Stossel explores the benefits to and disadvantages of hiring a realtor to sell your home. (OAD Oct. 2005)

� Real Estate Nightmares � American families are fuelling a frenzy of house building, but as Martin Bashir reports, the dream does not always go according to plan. Most new home nightmares involve structural problems and bad building. But sometimes the problem is not how the new home was built, but rather what the new home was built on. Southridge Hills in Arlington, Texas is the site of 587 houses. Soon after moving in, some residents learned that the development had been built directly on top of a practice bombing range used during World War II. In total, the Army Corps of Engineers reports that their sweep found 187 inert practice bombs and 58 potentially live practice bombs on Southridge Hills and the adjacent property. (OAD Oct. 2005)

� Staging � Chris Connelly reports on staging, a technique used by realtors and homeowners to prepare a home for sale at the highest price. Staging guru Barb Schwarz says that all it takes is removing clutter, moving around furniture, opening up rooms, replacing family photos and other tricks of the trade. "One of my sayings is �clutter eats equity,'" she says. "We're looking for the treasures that we can use in a different way." Schwarz and two dozen accredited staging professionals whom she trained are put to the test at Greg and Alicia Erickson's home in a Seattle suburb. With just four hours and $100, will the group be able to upgrade the Ericksons' home, making it more attractive to buyers at a higher price? (OAD Oct. 2005)

� Neighbor Nightmares � A fence too high? Cameras next door documenting your every move? JuJu Chang explores real life neighbor nightmares, including the highly publicized decade-long feud between Jim Belushi and Julie Newmar. That dispute had a happy Hollywood ending, but as Chang reports, sometimes the end result can be deadly. (OAD May 2006)

� Pimp My House � In real estate, some seek to tweak their space to suit their style. So owners looking to live the good life and not worry about resale values tell their builders and designers to "pimp my house" -- from a retired NBA player who supersized his South Florida house to a San Diego couple who have spent years reconfiguring their house for the amusement of their cats. Chris Connelly reports. (OAD May 2006)

"20/20" is anchored by Elizabeth Vargas and John Stossel. David Sloan is executive producer.