Tag Archives: Homeownership Rate

Which age group's homeownership rate is the furthest from its peak 10 years ago?

The homeownership rate increased marginally over the last two quarters, but was fairly unchanged year-over-year. This has left many in the industry questioning if homeownership has plateaued.

While student loan debt does play a role in the low homeownership rates among millennials, it does not fully explain why this generation is slow to purchase a home, according to Freddie Mac's monthly Insight & Outlook for September released Wednesday.

According to a report released Tuesday by the Department of Commerce's Census Bureau, this quarter's homeownership rate is the lowest since 1967 and the rate has been on a steady downward fall since 2009 when the rate was 67.4 percent for the second quarter.

Age matters when it comes to ownership. Older residents are more likely to own their own home. Households owned by residents 65 or older had the highest percentage of ownership rates at 79.5 percent, while residents under 35 scored lowest at 35.3 percent. The rate of homeownership can change drastically by age. While the numbers of homeowners age 35 to 44 was 58.8 percent that number jumps to 75.8 percent for owners age 55 to 64.

With job growth continuing on a strong track, a growing number of housing economists anticipate a comeback in homeownership—particularly among young adults—in the months and years ahead. However, a recent study from Freddie Mac turned up some discouraging results to throw some cold water on economists' high hopes.

According to figures released Thursday by the Census Bureau, the share of American homeowners hit 64.0 percent in Q4 2014, down from 64.4 percent in the previous quarter. Historical data shows the last time homeownership was so low was in Q4 1994, when the rate was 59.6 percent.

In its latest forecast, Wells Fargo's Economics Group cited a number of reasons optimistic housing market predictions for next year, namely easing of credit, job and income growth, and mortgage rates near their lowest levels in a generation.

In a quarterly survey of more than 100 real estate experts and economists, real estate data firm Zillow found 40 percent of respondents believe it will take another three to five years for the housing market to normalize, based on current home price trends and homebuyer activity.

While home sales prices posted moderate gains in September, the housing market recovery as a whole is moving slowly, according to the Wells Fargo Economics Group Housing Wrap Up for October 2014.