Yeah, a Sonex isn’t an RV in terms of resale value. You’re probably never going to get your investment back out of it when you go to sell it. I’ll probably end up spending $40-45K to complete mine, but it’s not likely to ever sell for more than like $30-35K (or less) and that will have a lot to do with the engine, avionics, etc. at time of sale … if I ever do sell it, that is.
But I’m building because I like building. If I’m being honest, I like it more than flying. I’m in a flying club and have access to two really nice, very well-equipped Cessnas. But I probably only logged ~10 hours last year. I’d just rather spend my free time in the garage making metal shavings.
For anyone that would rather fly, I tend to recommend you just buy a plane someone else has already built (after doing a thorough pre-buy inspection, of course) and save yourself a bundle of money and frustration.