We certainly gave away the big reveal in the headline above, but it’s hard not to, especially after evidence from the past two weeks in our 3-part series. There has been much discussion since the recent presidential election on how Americans may endear to different or similar beliefs depending on where they reside along the municipal line. We can say when it comes to homeownership and buying attitudes, the pattern of differences seems real.
Last week, we launched a 3-part series dedicated to exploring the "Rural-Urban Divide" in how Americans view home buying differently. It appears – based on ValueInsured’s Modern Homebuyer Survey data accumulated over the past 18 months among over 6,900 homeowners, buyers and renters – Americans universally value the importance of homeownership. However, the shared value seems to end there among people who reside in hometowns of different sizes.
There are many facets along the home-buying attitudinal dimensions where urban, suburban and rural Americans diverge in their beliefs. Some of these include the perceived investment benefits of buying a home, confidence in the housing market, expectation for a housing bubble in the near term, planned length of homeownership, desired attributes in a mortgage lender, etc. The list goes on. But one of the areas that surprised this research team is the strength of the family among urban homebuyers. Let us explain…
Dubbed the great American "Rural-Urban Divide", or an "Urban-Rural Divide" sometimes when reported by writers from urban areas, there has been a lot of talk about the differences that set Americans from different locales apart. Our analysts and writers are less interested in politics, but we are curious about differences in ideals and motivations that drive American homebuyers, so we can learn to better serve and empower them.
