The Survey has some interesting facts and figures to digest:
- 65% of Americans believe that it’s a good time to buy a home. This is almost unchanged from last January, but down five points (from 70%) that thought it was a good time to buy in June (2010).
- Just like last year… A large majority (78%) believe home prices have either bottomed or will rise over the next year. However, there have been price declines in most major markets throughout the U.S. over the past year (including here in Minnesota), meaning 78% of people polled in 2010 were wrong.
- The percentage of those polled who believe buying a home is a safe investment has fallen six points to just 64 percent since last January’s report.
The Center believes that potential homebuyers should ALWAYS be cautious when buying their first home – and be VERY careful when hearing things like “Now is a good time to buy!” and “Housing is a safe investment!”… the “Crowd” may not aways be right.
When renters were asked why they wouldn’t purchase a home… their responses are revealing:
- The #1 reason cited, by almost half of the respondents, was that they believe their credit was not good enough to obtain a mortgage.
- In addition, the #2 reason, cited by 47% (multiple answers were allowed)… was that they don’t think they can afford both a mortgage and the upkeep of a home.
While the Center applauds renters that approach the idea of homeownership cautiously… there is a way to KNOW if your credit is good enough… and KNOW exactly how much you can afford to purchase – or if purchasing a home is even a good fit for you: We recommend you take a homebuyer workshop! In Minnesota, the state's premier homebuyer (pre-purchase) education curriculum is known as Home Stretch. To learn more about Home Stretch, and other services for homebuyers, visit the Center's website here.
For more information about the National Housing Survey and to see the complete report, visit Fannie Mae's website, here.
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