Offering a basic plot to everyone baseline and status symbols are not mutually exclusive ideas. It doesn't take a lot of thought to realize that. The owning of a house isn't the status - it's what your house is and looks like that should imply the "status".
The beautiful thing about freedom of speech is that allows us to have our own opinion regardless of real facts.

With that said, I hope that the american economical system would think like you but like many things copied off life we can agree that socialism is hardly something that Eorzea knows at the moment ( outrageous vendor prices anyone?) and should reflect the housing system.

With that said, I hope the empire takes over and we all have free housing! YAY!