CONFIDENCE IN HOUSING MARKET 'STURDY'
New index shows lingering post-crash anxiety but also growing confidence.
Amid uncertainties around the global economy, national security and the national presidential campaign, Americans' confidence in the housing market remains sturdy and, in fact, is on the rise, according to the latest ValueInsured Modern Home Buyer Survey.
The ValueInsured Housing Confidence Index was 68.7 points in June, up slightly from 67 points in March. This 1.7-point rise in confidence is consistent with improvements in the government's June jobs report.
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The new ValueInsured Housing Confidence Index is the aggregate of seven multidimensional confidence measures collected through the Modern Home Buyer Survey. The confidence measures quantify American homeowners and non-homeowners' attitudes on the health of the housing market on both a national and localized level, as well as the notion that home buying is a secure and financially beneficial investment.
Despite the overall strength of the Index, concerns still linger from the housing crisis of 2008. When it comes to buying their first home or upgrading, 63% of Americans and 72% of millennials say that the 2008 crisis has worried them and impacted their decision. This is the "new normal" of apprehension in home buying.
When it comes to buying a home, the following factors rose to the top of Americans' chief concerns as a result of this "new normal":
- The global economy: As one of the first surveys measuring Americans' housing confidence since the U.K.'s Brexit vote, nearly three-in-five Americans (59%) and 68% of millennials say that the global economic climate has worried them.
- American economy: 63% of Americans and 70% of millennials say that our country's current economy has made them worried about the risks of buying a home.
- National security: Nearly half of Americans (48%) and 61% of millennials say that national security is of concern and impacting their home buying decisions.
- Job security/mobility: More than half of Americans (55%) and 71% of millennials say that the possibility of a job change or loss has made them worried about buying or upgrading.
- Among those who want to buy or upgrade to a new home, 68% of Americans and 81% of millennials say they would buy or upgrade sooner if they had more confidence in the housing market.
"The survey reflects renewed confidence that housing is a smart investment, though it's tempered by thoughtful consideration of the undeniable risks, especially given the recent uptick in security and economic events in the U.S. and abroad," said Cleve Bellar, chief marketing officer of ValueInsured. "Those lingering risks, and the traces of doubt, spotlight the need to protect down payments just as securely as financial institutions protect their mortgages."