Again, data are available only for a limited set of countries, which makes OECD-wide cross-country comparisons impossible. Such schemes are not yet very common, however, and only Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States have made any real use of them and even then, only sparingly. Reverse mortgages remain a comparative rarity in Europe for the time being, though they are set to become more widespread in the future, particularly to finance long-term care needs. First, housing is not only an asset, but a consumption good, too.