Not that I could be fairly described as “pro Laundromat.” I will readily admit that when I bought my first home, ditching the hunt for laundry quarters was definitely in the plus column.
Still…the American Dream? Has to be more to it than that, right? After all, in an article in Forbes last year, Dr. Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors (NAR), cited two different surveys showing that 87% and 86% of the population said owning a home was still essential part of the American Dream. Could that many Americans hate the florescent glow of Laundromats that much?
Well, yes, they could, I guess. But no, it is not just that.
Now, I could lay out many financial reasons to want to own a home. Like the fact that the Federal Reserve Board’s latest study showed the median net worth of homeowners increased 4% from a previous study to reach $194,400. In comparison, renters’ net worth remained flat at $5,400.
But while the financial reasons to buy a home make a lot of sense, at the core I think the appeal of homeownership runs much deeper. (Certainly much deeper than those pesky grass stains in my son’s baseball uniform!)
NAR’s March 2017 Generational Report showed that the number one reason homebuyers 61 and younger decided to buy was “the desire to have a place of my own.” It’s as much about freedom as it is about any cold hard financial facts.
Freedom to paint or remove a wall. Have a pet. A garage or a walk-in closet. A garden. Band practice. A place to raise a family. The truth is, there could be almost any reason why you would want to buy a home. And none of those reasons are more right or wrong than the others.
So as we celebrate freedom this Fourth of July, Readynest wants to know…why do you think homeownership is part of the American Dream?
