Huntington Beach Real Estate News

 Not only does home ownership matter, it is the most important message of the National Association of Realtors for 2011. According to the most recent data from the Federal Reserve, the median net worth of home-owning families is more than $200k, compared with about $5k for families who rent. Moreover, families that buy a home and begin building equity can, in the long run, be more self-reliant than those who don’t. That alone is a worthy justification for government incentives, such as the *mortgage interest deduction (which policy makers want to eliminate due to what they feel is a loss of tax revenue), and capital gains exemption. Home ownership also has a significant positive impact on educational achievement, civic participation, health, and overall quality of life. Media personality Martha Stewart eloquently said of the American Dream... “Our families and our homes are the center of American life. And everything we do is to make those homes--and the lives in them--more beautiful, more comfortable, more functional, and more full of life and light and joy for those we love. At the end of the day, that is the American Dream. All the rest is window dressing.”

Real Estate is critical to the national economic recovery. Every home sale and commercial real estate transaction generates direct economic activity and jobs. Most of these transactions generate work that stays within the United States.

Here is an interesting poll gathered by The New York Times regarding home ownership June 29^th, 2011.Poll: 9 in 10 Americans Value Home Ownership
While nearly one-quarter of home owners owe more on their home than it’s currently worth, Americans still see the value in home ownership and still consider it part of the American dream.

Nearly nine in 10 Americans say home ownership is an important part of the American dream, according to the latest New York Times and CBS News poll conducted June 24-28 of 979 adults.

Overall, the majority of Americans polled also said the government should do more to help improve the housing market, and they mostly blame financial institutions for the sluggish housing market.

Here are some of the findings from the poll:

54 percent of those polled say the government should be doing more to improve the housing market. Only 16 percent say the government should be doing less. In fact, support for helping people who are facing financial distress from housing is higher than support for helping those who have been unemployed for several months.

53 percent say the government should help in providing financial assistance to those who are having trouble paying their mortgages.

*Nearly no one surveyed was in favor of discontinuing the mortgage interest tax deduction, which government leaders have been eyeing as part of budget cuts.

42 percent of respondents blame lenders and 29 percent blame regulators for the housing crash.

About 66 percent of Americans say strategic default — that is, when underwater home owners stop making payments on their mortgage even though they have the means to keep paying — is not justified. Nearly 30 percent of those surveyed say strategic default is justified.

Source: “Despite Fears, Owning Home Retains Allure, Poll Shows,” The New York Times (June 29, 2011)

Call, email, or text Alan at Westline Real Estate if you would like additional information about home ownership. At your request, I will send you a FREE report on Home Ownership Matters… To People--To Communities--To America. For more than 100 years, REALTORS® have helped people find their piece of the American Dream. Now, with some questioning whether home ownership is still good for America, it’s more important than ever to stand up for home ownership... in your community and in the nation’s capital. Find out more about why Home Ownership Matters, how the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® is standing up for it, and how you can help spread the word, at REALTOR.org/homeownership.

Thank you,

Alan Adamo
Westline Real Estate
(714) 726-5429
www.westlinerealestate.com