Posts with tag home ownership

The dream of owning a home has become increasingly unattainable for many Americans, and the situation is not likely to improve soon, as the collapse of the housing market and the recession continue to take their toll. That is the disturbing conclusion to be drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau's newly released report... Continue Reading »

WASHINGTON -- The American dream of homeownership has felt its biggest drop since the Great Depression, according to new 2010 census figures released Thursday. The analysis by the Census Bureau found the homeownership rate fell to 65.1 percent last year. While that level remains the second highest decennial rate,... Continue Reading »

Home ownership has been the American dream for decades. But there may be a shift under way in the attitudes of policymakers and the public; earlier this year, we speculated on whether this country is heading toward becoming a nation of renters. AOL Real Estate spoke with Ronald Phipps, president of the National Association... Continue Reading »

The American dream of homeownership has taken a serious hit in the past five years--or so you might think. No wonder, what with so many Americans pummeled by underwater properties and foreclosures. Even the government piled on, declaring in a February housing report: "The Administration believes that we must continue to... Continue Reading »

Burned mortgage borrowers will more likely rent rather than buy another home, says the most recent nationwide survey released by Fannie Mae. Fewer Americans think the market has bottomed out and the idea of homeownership as a safe investment continues to drop. Just 68 percent of Americans think it's a good time to buy a... Continue Reading »

@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }The mood of homeowners has not improved much since the beginning of the year. In fact, it's gotten a little darker. Respondents to a new... Continue Reading »

#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-0 {width:600px;height:400px;background:black url(http://pthumbnails.5min.com/3418683/170934110_3_600_400.jpg) no-repeat center center;float:left;display:block;} The need for more space was what got Kim and Jason Fitzsimmons thinking about buying their first home. They'd been married for a year... Continue Reading »

Are you ready to celebrate the return of the Federal Home Buyer Tax Credit? Unless you're one of the 180,000 Americans with a pending sales agreement in contract by April 30, 2010, a celebration is probably out of order. While Californians and military personnel can still get state and military tax... Continue Reading »

Who has the cash to buy a house in full? Hardly anyone. And that's why mortgages play such an important role in making homeownership a more attainable dream for more people. But that's not how many consumers looked at mortgages in the heat of the housing bubble. Too many consumers started to think of mortgages as just... Continue Reading »

It's National Home Ownership Month, prompting lots of talk about the value of owning a home. The rhetoric isn't all bubbly. Sheila Bair, the outspoken head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, recently questioned the government's role in promoting homeownership. The speech wasn't widely covered, but The New York... Continue Reading »

Author and urban-studies theorist Richard Florida has some "tough love" advice for Americans. First, we need to lose our obsession with real estate. In his web-based video produced for The Atlantic titled "The Burden of Homeownership" he says that we need a "more flexible rental system." And when he means "more... Continue Reading »

Good news for those working their way back to home ownership. In an effort to aid in the recovery of the housing market, Fannie Mae has changed its loan rules for homeowners that went through a short sale or gave their deed back to the bank before foreclosure. The U.S. housing market has so far weathered six million... Continue Reading »

Ready to make the move from Renterdom to Home-ownership? Buying a home is one of the most important and expensive decisions you're likely to make. A little preparation can go long way to making the process run smoothly and minimize surprises that could undermine the transaction. Read on for our tips. Continue Reading »

Certain homeowners across the nation would like to say something to you, dear Renter: "Aren't you skating out of 'responsibility' by paying fewer taxes than us?" Well, Mr. and Mrs. Assumes-too-much, have a look at what the National Multi Housing Council (NMHC) has to say: "..it appears that in many jurisdictions apartment... Continue Reading »

Think time travel is impossible? Then explain how we've moved the clock back to 2003. The latest Census stats on homeownership show that just 67 percent of U.S. households own their home, down from a peak of 69 percent in 2007. That brings the share of homeowners back down to its level seven years ago. The nation... Continue Reading »