Homeownership is a Shared Value across Party Lines

SEATTLE, Nov. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Homeownership is an American value that transcends political parties, according to the Zillow® Housing Aspirations Report™ⁱ. The biannual survey found that 68.7 percent of Republicans and 65.1 percent of Democrats see owning a home as essential to living the American Dream.

About two-thirds of self-identified Republicans and Democrats agreed that homeownership is key to a higher social status, and close to three-quarters of respondents who identified with either party also believe that being a homeowner increases standing in the local community.

Many issues have a distinct political divide, but the majority of Republicans and Democrats agree on the value of owning a home. National homeownership rates are returning from a historical low point following the housing crisis, a signal that the recession did not fundamentally harm overall sentiment toward homeownership. Millennials, who delayed homeownership but are finally buying homes, are the generation most likely to say homeownership is part of the American Dream, regardless of political affiliation.

"In a time of political division, these survey results remind us of something most Americans share – the sense that owning a home is a big part of living the American Dream," said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Svenja Gudell. "Home ownership -- and its ability to create wealth, stability, and community – doesn't depend on political affiliation. As we debate the national and local politics surrounding affordability and tax reform, it's worthwhile to pause and remember a value most of us can agree on."

The survey showed Americans across the country agree that buying a home is part of the American Dream and a good financial decision in markets that are regularly setting record-high prices and those that have yet to recover from the housing crash.

Los Angeles is one of the least affordable housing markets in the country, and nearly half of the survey respondents expect they will have to wait at least three years to buy a home. However, Los Angeles residents are more likely than residents of other large metropolitan areas to say that owning a home is necessary to live the American Dream, with 72 percent of respondents agreeing with the statement.

In Las Vegas, home values are still 23.3 percent below the peak values set during the housing bubbleⁱⁱ, and 15.9 percent of homeowners are underwater on their mortgagesⁱⁱⁱ. Despite this, 67 percent of respondents agree that homeownership is essential to the American Dream.

The survey also revealed that even amidst rapidly rising home values, most Americans feel confident that they will be able to stay in their current homes as long as they would like, but residents of the most expensive metros are less certain they will eventually be able to buy their own home. Ninety-one percent of Republicans and 89.6 percent of Democrats report feeling confident that they will be able to afford to stay where they live now, but at least 40 percent of respondents in West Coast markets don't plan on buying a home for at least five years, if they ever do.

Republicans and Democrats alike tend to think that homeownership offers advantages beyond financial benefits. The vast majority of respondents to the survey view owning a home as better for raising a family, making ties within the community, and overall quality of life, regardless of their local housing market.

The Zillow Housing Aspirations Report is a semi-annual survey sponsored by Zillow and conducted by IPSOS. It asks 10,000 renters and homeowners in 20 metros across the country about their views on homeownership and their personal housing expectations for the future.

Zillow

Zillow® is the leading real estate and rental marketplace dedicated to empowering consumers with data, inspiration and knowledge around the place they call home, and connecting them with the best local professionals who can help. In addition, Zillow operates an industry-leading economics and analytics bureau led by Zillow's Chief Economist Dr. Svenja Gudell. Dr. Gudell and her team of economists and data analysts produce extensive housing data and research covering more than 450 markets at Zillow Real Estate Research. Zillow also sponsors the quarterly Zillow Home Price Expectations Survey, which asks more than 100 leading economists, real estate experts and investment and market strategists to predict the path of the Zillow Home Value Index over the next five years. Launched in 2006, Zillow is owned and operated by Zillow Group (NASDAQ:Z and ZG), and headquartered in Seattle.

Zillow is a registered trademark of Zillow, Inc. Housing Aspirations Report is a trademark of Zillow, Inc.

ⁱ The Zillow Housing Aspirations Report is computed from an IPSOS poll which combines sample of 10,000 U.S. adults from 20 U.S. core-based statistical area (CBSA) metropolitans (Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, St. Louis, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Tampa, and Washington, D.C.) age 18+, surveyed online in English. The survey has a credibility interval of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points for all respondents from the 20 U.S. metropolitans and approximately 5.0 percentage points for an individual U.S. metropolitan. Post-hoc weights were made to the population characteristics on gender, age, region, and race and ethnicity. For more information about conducting research intended for public release or IPSOS' online polling methodology, please visit the Public Opinion Polling and Communication page.

ⁱⁱ https://www.zillow.com/research/september-2017-market-report-17073/

ⁱⁱⁱ https://www.zillow.com/research/q1-2017-negative-equity-15888/

SOURCE Zillow