Ultimately, it may make sense or not for an individual situation, but my observation has been that as a short term investment a house is pretty risky relative to other options.
At issue is not the house versus other investments; at issue is how a person with liquidity can best cover the cost of a child's education when that child is geographically distant from the parent(s)' dwelling.
For sure, I did not advocate a path which prioritized risk-aversion, but one which prioritized wealth accretion.