HOMEOWNERSHIP: REPORTS OF ITS DEATH ARE EXAGGERATED

This headline was posted by the KCM Crew, authors of a blog for a real estate website called, "Keeping Current Matters." It's a great name for a blog, because in real estate, keeping current does indeed... matter. The above mentioned article randomly addresses the many negative articles regarding real estate, many of which have been published in local southern California papers. This newsletter, although not political, strongly disagrees with scare tactics and negative ploys designed solely to sell papers. After numerous recent articles all playing on the word, "scary", a pun on the Halloween holiday, let's level the playing field with some real numbers and let you, the discerning and intelligent reader, make up your own mind.

Local papers would have you believe that the sky is, in fact, falling; real estate will never recover and will never be the same. More on that later, with some real numbers that are a little sobering. But first, homeownership itself; is it dwindling? Is it, "on its way out?" Hardly. In fact, pick up a copy of the recently released Fannie Mae 2011 3rd quarter National Housing Survey. Both Generation Y (birthday mid-1970's to mid-1990's) and Generation X (mid-1960's to mid-1970's) have stronger beliefs in the importance of homeownership than those of the general population... yes that would be the boomers, and boomers have loved real estate. It seems clear that as the economy improves, so will housing demand.