Tag Archives: Homeownership Rate

The number of households owning homes rose to 75,076,000 in the third quarter from 74,832,000 in the second, but down from 75,251,000 a year ago, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday. At the same time, the nation's homeownership rate (seasonally adjusted) remained at 65.5 percent. The homeownership rate stayed near historic lows. The rate in the first quarter was 65.4 percent, the lowest since the first quarter of 1997.

More than 800 homeowners from across Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska came together with local business leaders, real estate professionals, politicians, and civil rights leaders this week in support of homeownership. Speakers at the rally put the importance of homeownership into perspective when they told the audience that during the worst of this recession, roughly 3.2 million Americans were out of work as a result of the housing downturn.

Homeownership, long considered part of the American Dream, continues to have mass appeal but with a slightly more practical angle, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Texas Trust Credit Union, one of the largest credit unions in North Texas.

A report released Monday from John Burns Real Estate Consulting revealed that the real homeownership rate-measured as the percentage of households that own a home and are not seriously delinquent on their mortgage-has fallen to 62.1 percent, the lowest level in almost half a century. The firm said that the Census Bureau's 65.5 percent homeownership estimate was a vast overestimate, as it includes 3.8 million homeowners who are 90 or more days delinquent.

In a study to examine what factors would drive a person to rent or own in their next move, Fannie Mae found that a mix of demographics and attitudinal drivers were key, while negative housing events appears to do little to thwart would-be buyers. The study categorized respondents into three groups: renters, those with a mortgage, and outright homeowners. The study found that renters tended to be younger and fall into the low income category.

While younger folks are oftentimes viewed as being more prone to taking risks than more elderly people, a study found that this idea doesn’t ring true when it comes to buying a home during an economic downturn. The study was authored by economists from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Anat Bracha and Julian C. Jamison, and examined how the recession affected attitudes toward homeownership. The study found that people who lived in hardest-hit ZIP codes in 2008 were significantly more likely to be confident about owning a home if they are older (over 58), but are significantly less likely to be confident about owning a home if they are younger.

The nation’s homeownership rate rose to 65.5 percent in the second quarter, the Census Bureau reported Friday. The Census Bureau though revised downward the homeownership rate for the first quarter to 65.4 percent (from the originally reported 65.5 percent), the lowest since the first quarter of 1997 when the rate was also 65.4 percent. The Census Bureau also reported the homeowner vacancy rate fell to 2.1 percent nationwide, down from 2.2 percent in the first quarter and 2.5 percent one year ago. The homeowner vacancy rate is at its lowest level since the first quarter of 2006.

For the first quarter of 2012, the Census Bureau reported the homeownership rate dropped to 65.4 percent, which was a yearly (66.4 percent) and quarterly drop (66.0 percent). Even more significant was the fact that rate had never seen such a low since the first quarter of 1997 when the rate was also 65.4 percent. In a report, Paul Diggle of Capital Economics wrote, ""it's plausible that tight credit, subdued confidence and many more foreclosures will drive the homeownership rate down to 64%.""

When hearing about the different narratives on the housing crisis, oftentimes the private sector is largely blamed. During an event hosted by The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Wednesday, a recently published book was discussed which highlights a different perspective on the story of the housing market crash. Oonagh McDonald, a UK-based academic, wrote the book titled ""Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: Turning the American Dream Into A Nightmare"" and asserts that the failures in the housing industry started with 'affordable housing ideology,' and was worsened by policy makers and the GSEs.

Optimism is good for the recovery, but too much optimism can lead us back on the path to the next housing bubble, said Trulia Chief Economist Jed Kolko during a conference call Wednesday. Although home prices are rising, renters might be overconfident, with 58 percent of respondents expecting home prices to return to peak in the next 10 years. In this case, Kolko said optimism is outpacing reality, and it is very unlikely that prices in those hardest hit markets will return to the peaks in the next 10 years. As for the rental market, Kolko said there is no danger of a bubble and if anything, we are in danger of the rental market becoming extremely tight in some markets.