Prudential Real Estate Q4 Consumer Outlook Survey
WASHINGTON (PRWEB) February 24, 2014 -- Prudential Real Estate, an HSF Affiliates LLC company, and Prudential PenFed Realty today released results of its fourth quarter Consumer Outlook Survey indicating that consumers’ perception of residential real estate is increasingly favorable, and that consumers are more committed to buying and selling homes in 2014 than they were during the previous year.
In fact, favorability toward real estate reached 78% among all respondents, a 5-point jump from the previous quarter and 15 points higher than at year-end 2012. Millennials’ perception of real estate is most favorable, peaking at 87%. Respondents’ growing optimism yields resolve, as 76% of likely transactors and 63% of all survey participants indicated they were more committed to buying/selling homes in 2014.
“Consumers understand that the U.S. economy and residential real estate continue moving in positive directions,” said Earl Lee, CEO of HSF Affiliates LLC. “Accordingly, they’re feeling much better about their personal situations and want to take advantage of attractive home prices in many markets and interest rates that remain low by historical standards.”
Respondents acknowledged that macro-economic events of 2013, such as government sequestration and rising interest rates, impacted their personal finance decisions. However, they look to the new year with anticipation: A full 65% are optimistic about the housing market in 2014 and a nearly 60% believe home sales will increase during the year. Half of all respondents believe that the rate of appreciation in U.S. home values will slow this year after a strong run in 2013.
“Normalcy is returning to residential real estate,” said Lee. “People are seeking homes for all the right reasons – to gain shelter and security, raise a family and generate long-term wealth.”
While financial concerns certainly play a role in the decision to buy or sell, homeownership remains a deeply personal decision. Owning a home is important to 96% of Americans, and 78% agree that homeownership is an important part of the American dream. When asked about their experience buying and selling in today’s economy, 72% of respondents said that finding the right home and community are crucial to their family’s happiness.
“While finding the ideal property is a personal decision for the client; their REALTOR® is instrumental in helping them locate their ideal home,” said Kevin Wiles, president mid-Atlantic region of Prudential PenFed Realty.
Caution remains in the marketplace. “Decreasing home values” is the No. 1 concern of respondents, followed by “saving enough for a down payment.” Underscoring the stringent lending guidelines that are still in place from the industry downturn, just 39% of respondents believe it will be easier to secure a mortgage loan in 2014. Consumers also acknowledged that tight housing inventory may impact their home-buying decisions this year: 67% expect to face more competition for homes on the market.
These and other hurdles call for advice and guidance from real estate professionals. A full 64% of survey respondents indicated that a good agent can help them make the right choices about the type of home and community they want; 62% said a good agent can help maximize homeownership investment. Among millennials, 70% said a good agent can help them maximize their investment and 62% say now, more than ever, they look to a real estate agent for sound guidance on a real estate transaction.
“Consumers are increasingly sophisticated about real estate and many come to the table armed with impressive research,” said Stephen Phillips, COO of HSF Affiliates. “However, they will always need an experienced agent to pull it all together, assess opportunities, negotiate in good faith and keep everything moving for a successful transaction.”
The full survey details are available upon request.
Prudential Real Estate Outlook Survey Methodology
Interviews with 2,500 Americans who are “in the market” to buy or sell a home were conducted online by Edelman Berland in December 2013 and January 2014. Respondents are aged 25-64 with a household income of at least $50,000. The margin of error is +/-1.96% for all respondents.
About Prudential Real Estate and HSF Affiliates LLC
Prudential Real Estate is a part of the HSF Affiliates LLC real estate brokerage family, which includes Real Living Real Estate and the new Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices brand available later in 2013. Prudential Real Estate franchises are independently owned and operated. HSF Affiliates LLC, based in Irvine, Calif., is a joint venture of HomeServices of America and Brookfield Asset Management.
Prudential, the Prudential logo and the Rock symbol are registered service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Used under license with no other affiliation with Prudential.
About Prudential PenFed Realty
Prudential PenFed Realty, wholly owned by PenFed (Pentagon Federal Credit Union), is a full-service real estate company with an annual sales volume over $2.8 billion; serving PenFed members as well as the general public. Recognized as a leading real estate company in its service area, it is ranked among the top 25 Prudential affiliates nationwide. Over 1,700 top-notch sales professionals work out of Prudential PenFed Realty’s 50+ offices to provide complete real estate services nationwide.
Prudential PenFed Realty is an affiliate of the Brookfield/Home Service Franchise (Formerly Prudential Real Estate) Residential Property Services network. Its franchises are independently owned and operated. The network provides franchises with numerous benefits, including access to Prudential Real Estate’s Online Seller Advantage® program designed to provide real-time information to sellers in an easy to use system; and Online Buyer Advantage®, enabling consumers to easily search for property in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Prudential Real Estate is one of the largest real estate brokerage franchise networks in North America, with more than 1,500 franchise offices and 50,000 sales professionals in the franchise Network as of December 31, 2011.
© 2014 BRER Affiliates LLC. An independently owned and operated broker member of BRER Affiliates LLC. Prudential, the Prudential logo and the Rock symbol are registered service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Used under license with no other affiliation with Prudential. Equal Housing Opportunity. We are proud to be an equal employment opportunity employer: m/f/v/d.
Miranda Opiela, Prudential PenFed Realty, http://www.penfedrealty.com, +1 (703) 838-1528, [email protected]
Share this article