The article is using median numbers. There are of course regional differences in real estate investment and I was thinking about doing a follow up article on that specifically. I tried to somewhat address this by saying

"There are many mistakes that people could make that would cause their real estate investment to be a less than favorable one. Rushing into home ownership, buying in a region that is failing economically, getting sucked into a loan that is less than optimal, or even being uneducated or less informed about your options could result in a negative outcome."

Saving $200 on your mortgage!? Where do you live?