Tag Archives: Homeownership

Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation (MGIC), principal subsidiary of MGIC Investment Corporation has selected Stephen Mackey to be EVP-Chief Risk Officer. Mackey will be stepping in to take newly retired Lawrence Pierzchalski’s place and will begin in his new position in late June.

Rood said millennials are generally drawn to live in urban areas because of convenience, lifestyle, and walkable amenities, but they are paying 30 to 40 percent more in rents than they would be paying if they owned a home – and a result, they cannot save enough money for a downpayment for a house.

But these declining numbers are nothing new. The numbers of renters making the transition to homeownership has dropped consistently over the past couple of years, and rates have remained below 17 percent mark (the historical average) since 2008.

Hispanic homeownership rates have slowed over the past three years. In 2012, the number of homes owned by Latinos increased by 347,000. That number was much lower at 54,000 in 2014. Before the Great Recession, Hispanics were outpacing the national average in homeownership gains. From 1995 to 2004 the Hispanic homeownership rate grew 7 percent, higher than the national average of 5 percent.

When it comes to major life milestones, mortgages come before marriages for a large number of millennials, according to data released Friday. In a recent survey conducted by Redfin, 38 percent of Americans age 18–34 say they either would or have put off a wedding or honeymoon in favor of saving to buy a home.

Late last year, real estate firm Zillow reported that renters living in the United States paid a cumulative $441 billion in rents throughout 2014, a nearly 5 percent annual increase spurred by rising numbers of renters and climbing prices. Results from a more recent survey conducted by Zillow and Pulsenomics suggest that rent prices will continue to be a problem for the aspiring homeowner for years to come.

Looking at trends in incomes, home values, and rental prices in the third quarter, Zillow estimates that U.S. homeowners spend on average 15.3 percent of their income on monthly mortgage payments. For younger homebuyers, who typically make smaller down payments, that figure is only slightly higher: 17.4 percent.

Among its five largest predictions for next year, Realtor.com expects first-time buyers will return to the market in full force after years of retrenchment that has dampened the recovery of the housing market. This push will be led by millennials, now settling into their families, careers, and 30s, who are eager to buy into the American dream.

In findings released Tuesday, COUNTRY Financial revealed 89 percent of Americans in its most recent Security Index survey feel that buying a home is a key part of achieving the American Dream despite their recent memories of the crash. Even more promising, 64 percent of respondents expressed belief that owning a home is an attainable goal for a typical middle-income family, a significant improvement over last year, when just 41 percent said the same.

Harris Interactive surveyed 1,462 homeowners for Century 21, capturing the look at singles from 675 participants. According to the poll, 45 percent of singles between ages 25 and 50 considered homeownership "very important." Single homeowners considered homeownership an important financial investment. Century 21 President and CEO Rick Davidson described the numbers as a "shift in the home-buying population" when it came to singles.