“All assets within the home are also included in the overall value,” Mara adds.
Richard, Joss (2025). It's Different This Time: A Novel (Function). Kindle Edition.
What is the difference between "home" and "house"? Would "house" work in this sentence?
They can be used interchangeably in many contexts, including this one, but have different connotations; a house is a physical building, whilst a home (which is usually a house) is a place where a person lives (and often has connotations of being a comfortable place).
Also while “house” can be any building (e.g. lots of restaurants are named “House of Pizza” or whatever), it usually means a building that was built as a residence for like 1-3 families. But also people who live in apartments call them “their house” all the time, at least in my experience (West Coast cities & NYC)
In this one, they probably chose "home" because it likely applies to any owned home, whether it's a freestanding house or a single unit of a multifamily dwelling (condo, flat, apartment, or other depending on details like dialect and ownership structure).
Any residence can be a home, including houses, apartments, condos, etc. I'd consider a house a single family free standing structure.
Conversely a newly built or abandoned house where nobody lives, is not a home.
Exactly.
eh I'd say most duplexes are houses too
Doesn’t have to be free standing. Semi-detached and terraced houses are still houses.
Yes, that's fine.
The difference is that a home is a place you live, whether it's a house or not.
And a house is not your home if you don't live there.
Kind of.
Realtors and stuff like to say 'home' when talking about a property being sold, even though that's not really the typical use of the word home. They do this become 'home' has inherent positive connotations that 'house' doesn't have.
As a final point, if you owned 3 houses and rented 2 of them out, you'd say you have 3 houses, but you wouldn't say you have 3 homes. You have 1 home and 2 rental houses.
People do say "I own 3 homes"
The distinction is that a house is a type of home. An apartment or condo would also be called a home, but would not be called a house.
You can have a summer home, a winter home, a vacation home, if you personally use them enough to have them feel like your home. But if you own 3 houses and rent out 2 of them to other families, you wouldnt call that having 3 homes. If they are rentals or investments, I would more likely say 3 properties. Or "I own my home and 2 rental properties"
Usually your house is the physical structure and home is wherever you feel like you belong. In general, home can refer to your house, but it could also be something else, like a church you are a member of, your hometown, or one of many other things.
In this context, either house or home could work.
Interchangeable in this case specifically.
It would be fine. House is a structure. Home is more metaphorical usually. Like this is where I stay. An apartment can be a home. Cabin in the woods. A province/state etc
Home is where you live (could be a cardboard box or car)
A house is a structure designed to live in
Your house is your home but you might not feel like it’s your true home
Home is a really interesting word, and I think it's the most beautiful in the English language.
A house is just a building. A home is where someone lives, but it also implies where they keep their important things, their personal belongings, and/or where they feel most safe and comfortable.
I'm not sure of the full context, but where the sentence refers to 'assets in the home', it refers to the owner's personal belongings.
House and home can be used interchangeably. Though Home has an extra connotation of being your place where you both live and thrive emotionally while House is "just" the building you live in.
You can even use "home" more metaphorically. Like "My family is my home". You wouldn't say "My family is my house".
The difference is "house" represents this "🏠". Home can be a general term for any place where someone lives. In a movie you might hear a poor character point to their bed in a tent or something. And they'll say "it's not much, but it's home".
But essentially, they are often interchangeable. Please ask if you need clarification.
Home depends on the vibe. where as house is a structure. House is a building type like condo, apartment, duplex, etc. (it’s a bit vaguer some duplex’s could be considered houses). A home is any place you live or more abstractly the place or people you feel safe and loved in or with. You might run into the saying “a house but not a home” or “home is where the heart is” these are both referring to the more abstract definition.
I believe that in this context (which appears to be a discussion regarding insurance or inheritance?), 'home' would include items of value that may be located physically outside of the single building that is the 'house'. So think of something like an expensive planter on the front porch, or perhaps a car in a detached garage or a lawnmower in a garden shed.
While house and home are often closely related, in this case I think the best substitute word would be 'property' since 'home' here is intended to include the items of value in the place where this person lives/lived. "All assets on the property are included..."
There's a saying in English, "Home is where the heart is." A house is a building.
We also say "That's what makes a house a home."
TL;DR: Yes, house and home can be used interchangeably here. I think "house" would be more technically correct, but most realtors tend to favor the word "home" over "house."
I think the main difference is that "home" connotes a place that a person lives and is comfortable and/or feels like they belong. I believe this is why some activists now refer to homeless people as "houseless people," too--to indicate that they have a right to belong in the place where they live, even if they don't currently have a house.