Purchasing a Home is Still a Good Investment

Blogging From The Desk of Alicia Lagarde-Craig

Even with several years of price declines, the typical seller who purchased a home eight years ago experienced a median equity gain of $33,000—a 24 percent increase—while sellers who were in their homes for 11 to 15 years saw a median gain of 40 percent. That’s according to NAR’s 2010 survey of home buyers and sellers, available at REALTOR.org/research. "Eighty-five percent of recent home buyers see their home as a good investment, and nearly half think that investment is better than stocks,” says Paul Bishop, NAR vice president of research. This indicates the long-term view of home ownership as a fundamental goal and value remains sound.