The federal discount rate, now ~6.5%(?), was as high as 14% in 1981, and as low as 1% at other times, and seems to fall after a crisis (1929, 2001) to improve US consumer confidence. This seems to have a huge impact on the overall cost of a home when a 30yr fixed fully paid mortgage is assumed.
There is a 100 year rate history at the link, and plenty of other websites with tracking graphs(google interest rates and compare them to their political/etc. circumstances)
http://www.minneapolisfed.org/Research/data/us/disc.cfm
Are stocks and housing the only way to stay ahead of inflation? The current indicators seems to indicate Bernanke will be slowly rising the interest rates.
[edited for clairity thx]