In First 2017 Survey Released Post-Inauguration, Americans Cautiously Optimistic in Housing Market
Dallas, TX (PRWEB) January 25, 2017 -- Americans are starting off 2017 cautiously optimistic about the housing market, reports ValueInsured Modern Homebuyer Survey. The first consumer confidence survey conducted in January and released post-inauguration reveals nearly seven-in-10 Americans (69 percent) believe 2017 will be a better year for the housing market than 2016, despite rising interest rates and a new administration.
The optimism is anchored by millennial non-homeowners who recorded the highest confidence increase over the last quarter, up 5.0 points with a score of 61.3 in the ValueInsured Housing Confidence Index, which reflects seven housing confidence measures from the survey. This rising confidence among millennial non-homeowners, align with recent reports such as NAR, which suggest that the 2017 housing market could be driven by eager first-time homebuyers. Renters who want to buy report to be more confident in their ability to afford a home: 41 percent of millennials non-homeowners now believe 2017 will be an easier year to buy a home. Forty-four percent are also now confident they can afford a home down payment, up 6 percent points from September.
With home prices predicted to stabilize, additional findings from ValueInsured’s quarterly Modern Homebuyer Survey also report rising confidence:
• 58 percent of Americans and 62 percent of millennials believe the housing market will become more favorable for them in 2017.
• 52 percent of Americans and 59 percent of millennials believe the housing market will become more favorable with this new White House.
• 74 percent of homeowners believe 2017 will be easier for them to upgrade to a new home.
The numbers do hold a note of caution. While the January Index as a whole still registered a housing confidence measure of 68.0, it dipped by 0.9 point on a 100-point scale since September. While slight, this is the first slide since March 2016 and is consistent with other popular housing confidence measures that reported the same directional movement, including Fannie Mae's Home Purchase Sentiment Index. This drop was primarily driven by homeowners.
Homeowners are less confident now than they were in September that their homes are worth what they paid for them (down 7 percentage points), and they are less confident that home prices in their area will continue to go up (down 9 percentage points).
Nonetheless, approximately four-in-five Americans continue to think buying is better than renting (78 percent) and owning is an important part of their American Dream (79 percent).
“I recommend Americans, especially first-time buyers, absolutely pursue their dream of owning a home,” said Joe Melendez, CEO of ValueInsured. “But it’s up to us as an industry to help make them feel more confident in doing so, and that starts with us giving them greater certainty by protecting their down payments.”
For additional findings from the ValueInsured Modern Homebuyer Survey visit valueinsured.com/trends.
Survey Methodology
The ValueInsured Modern Homebuyer Survey was conducted online by Equation Research on behalf of ValueInsured in January 2017 among a nationally representative sample of 609 American adults ages 18 and older. The ValueInsured Housing Confidence Index is the aggregate mean of seven multidimensional confidence measures collected through the Modern Homebuyer Survey, which is conducted once per quarter.
About ValueInsured
PVI Agency, LLC dba ValueInsuredSM, is the only provider of down payment protection for modern homebuyers, giving them greater control, confidence and flexibility in a volatile real estate market – all for the cost of a lunch per month. ValueInsured's +PlusSM down payment protection is easy, affordable and backed by one of the world's largest re-insurance companies, with over $8 billion in capital. Based in Dallas, ValueInsured is led by a team of professionals experienced in every part of the home buying process. http://www.valueinsured.com/
The information contained herein does not constitute a solicitation nor an offer of insurance in any jurisdiction in which it would be unauthorized or unlawful to do so, including, but not limited to the State of New York.
Media Contact:
Mollie Holman
Brodeur Partners for ValueInsured
(646) 746-5611
mholman(at)brodeur(dot)com
Cleve Bellar, ValueInsured, http://www.valueinsured.com, +1 (844) 448-7587, [email protected]
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