Homeownership Is Full of Financial Benefits
A Fannie Mae survey recently revealed some of the most highly-rated benefits of homeownership.
Here are the top four financial benefits of owning a home according to consumer respondents:
88% – a better chance of saving for retirement
87% – the best investment plan
85% – the chance to be better off financially
85% – the chance to build up wealth
Additional financial advantages of homeownership include are having the best overall tax situation and being able to live within your budget.
Does homeownership actually give you a better chance to build wealth?
No one can question a person’s unique feelings about the importance of homeownership. However, it’s fair to ask if the numbers justify homeownership as a financial asset.
Last fall, the Federal Reserve released the Survey found that homeowners have forty times higher net worth than renters ($255,000 for homeowners compared to $6,300 for renters).
The difference in net worth between homeowners and renters has continued to grow. Here’s a graph showing the results of the last four Fed surveys:
Others may think homeowners are older and that’s why they have a greater net worth. However, a Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University report on homeowners and renters over the age of 65 reveals:
“The ability to build equity puts homeowners far ahead of renters in terms of household wealth…the median owner age 65 and over had home equity of $143,500 and net wealth of $319,200. By comparison, the net wealth of the same-age renter was just $6,700.”
A great retirement nest egg. Homeowners 65 and older have 47.6 times greater net worth than renters.
The idea of homeownership as a direct way to build your net worth has met the test of time. Visit us at hfamiami.com/homebuyers for information on our first time home buyers mortgage and generous down payment and closing costs benefits. You will be glad you did.