National Housing Survey: What America Thinks

Each quarter, Fannie Mae releases their National Housing Survey. They survey the American public on a multitude of questions concerning today's housing market. We like to pull out some of the findings we deem most interesting each time it is released. Here they are for the most recent report:

The Most Important Reasons to Buy a Home

When we talk about homeownership today, it seems that the financial aspects always jump to the front of the discussion. However, the study shows that the four major reasons a person buys a home have nothing to do with money. The top four reasons, in order, are:

1. It means having a good place to raise children and provide them with a good education
2. You have a physical structure where you and your family feel safe
3. It allows you to have more space for your family
4. It gives you control of what you do with your living space (renovations and updates)

The Home as an Investment

Though most people purchase a home for non-financial reasons, everyone realizes their is a money component to homeownership. Here is what they said on this issue:

• 66% of the general population (and 71% of homeowners) believe that homeownership is a ‘safe' investment. This is the first time since the studies inception in 2003 that this number increased.
• 57% believe that homeownership has more potential as an investment than any other traditional asset class.
• 67% think that now is a good time to buy a home

Rent vs. Buy

We are always interested in the difference people see in renting vs. owning.

• 65% of renters have aspirations to someday own their own home
• 74% of renters think that owning is superior to renting (up 6% since the last survey)
• 96% of homeowners see homeownership as a positive experience (3% see it as a negative experience) while 82% of renters see renting as a positive experience (16% see it as a negative experience)
• 92% of homeowners live in a single family residence while 48% of renters live in a multi-unit building

Bottom Line 

Our belief in the value of homeownership grows each time this survey is released.