According to the latest report from the US Census
Bureau, more Americans chose purchasing a home over signing a lease to rent in the first quarter of 2017.
This marks the first time since 2006 that the number of new homeowner households outpaced the number of new renter
households.
Of the 1.22 million new households that were formed in the first quarter, 854,000 were new-owner households making
the jump straight to homeownership rather than renting first.
That means that the homeownership rate amongst new households was 70%!
This is huge news as the national homeownership rate is currently 63.6% and has only ever come close to this figure
in the second quarter of 2004 when the homeownership rate reached an all-time high of 69.2%.
A recent Wall Street Journal article pointed to the uptick in first-time
homebuyers coming to market as a reason for the jump:
“The return of first-time buyers is accelerating. In all they have accounted for 42% of buyers this year, up
from 38% in 2015 and 31% at the lowest point during the recent housing cycle in 2011, according to Fannie Mae,
which defines first-time buyers as anyone who hasn’t owned a home in the past three years.”
Ralph McLaughlin, Trulia’s Chief Economist,
had this to say about what a bump in new homeowner households could mean for the housing market:
“Strong renter household formation is one of the reasons why the homeownership rate has continued to drop
since the onset of the housing crisis, so any sign this trend is reversing is something to take note of. We look
forward to future releases of these data to determine whether this is a statistical blip or a trend.”
Bottom Line
As more and more potential first-time buyers realize their ability to buy a home without having to rent first, not
only will the homeownership rate benefit, but so will the overall economy.
According to a recent report by Trulia,
“buying is cheaper than renting in 100 of the largest metro areas by an average of 33.1%.” The report
may have some people thinking about buying a home instead of signing another lease extension, but does that make
sense from a financial perspective?
Ralph McLaughlin, Trulia’s Chief Economist explains:
“Owning a home is one of the most common ways households build long-term wealth, as it acts like a forced
savings account. Instead of paying your landlord, you can pay yourself in the long run through paying down a
mortgage on a house.”
The article listed five reasons why owning a home makes financial sense:
- Mortgage payments can be fixed while rents go up.
- Equity in your home can be a financial resource later.
- You can build wealth without paying capital gains.
- A mortgage can act as a forced savings account.
- Overall, homeowners can enjoy greater wealth growth than renters.
Bottom Line
Before you sign another lease, let’s get together and discuss all your options.