Majority say owning a home is a good investment, poll

Buying a home remains a top priority for an overwhelming majority of Americans, a new poll showed on Wednesday.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) said 82 percent of Americans believe owning a home is a good investment, according to the Morning Consult poll.

{mosads}That choice polled well ahead of the second of six options, retirement accounts, at 67 percent.

“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,” said NAHB Chairman Ed Brady, a homebuilder and developer from Bloomington, Ill.

The survey was nearly evenly split on which presidential candidate respondents thought would be best for housing.

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton garnered 38 percent support; 37 percent said Republican nominee Donald Trump; and 25 percent reported “don’t know” or “no opinion.”

The survey found that 81 percent of 18-to-29-year-olds polled want to buy a home.

Overall, 72 percent support the government providing tax incentives to encourage homeownership.

With the housing market recovering, 46 percent say now is a good time to buy a home, compared with 23 percent who say it is not.

Mortgage rates are at record lows, though some buyers are finding it difficult to find a home due to a lack of available properties and rising home prices. 

Among those polled, 55 percent said the biggest obstacle to buying a home was finding a home at a price they could afford, followed by 50 percent who said they don’t have enough savings for a down payment and 41 percent who reported difficulty getting approved for a home loan.

The poll found that 36 percent would like to buy a home in the next three years.

This nationwide survey of more than 2,800 registered voters was conducted July 22–24.