WASHINGTON – Aug. 1, 2016 – An overwhelming four-out-of-five Americans believe that owning a home is a good investment, according to a recent poll commissioned by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The nationwide survey of more than 2,800 registered voters was conducted July 22-24 by polling firm Morning Consult.
“The survey shows that most Americans believe that owning a home remains an integral part of the American Dream and that policymakers need to take active steps to encourage and protect homeownership,” says NAHB Chairman Ed Brady, a homebuilder and developer from Bloomington, Ill.
Key findings
- 82 percent rate “a home for you to live in” as a good or excellent investment (the highest of six choices), far ahead of the second option, retirement accounts, at 67 percent
- 81 percent of 18-29-year-olds want to buy a home
- 72 percent support the government providing tax incentives to encourage homeownership
- 46 percent say now is a good time to buy a home – twice the 23 percent who say it is not
- 36 percent would like to buy a home in the next three years
Among those polled, 55 percent said the biggest obstacle to buying a home was finding a home at an affordable price, followed by 50 percent who cited insufficient savings for a downpayment and 41 percent who reported difficulty getting approved for a home loan.
The survey was evenly split on which presidential candidate would be best for housing. Thirty-eight percent of the respondents cited Hillary Clinton, 37 percent Donald Trump and 25 percent reported “don’t know” or “no opinion.”
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