If we could repeal property taxes, more buyers might consider owning property by removing the power of the State to use force to steal from citizens. Taxation is a form of violence by the state.The American dream of owning a home is still alive and well, but a large percentage of Americans today feel that for now, renting might be the better option.
With home prices still falling and foreclosures still flooding the market, just 65 percent of those surveyed in CNBC's All-America survey said they are better off owning than renting, far less than the 89 percent who favored owning back in 1996.
On the bright side, Americans do feel better about their home values, and that is vital given that home equity is such a key driver of consumer spending. If we feel richer, we buy more.
Twenty-two percent of those surveyed believe their home values will increase in the next year. That's up from 15 percent last quarter and the highest level in two years, albeit less than half of the 50 percent who expected home price appreciation in March 2007, when housing was about to fall off a cliff.
Fifty-eight percent said they expect prices to stay flat, while 20 percent say home prices will continue to lose value.
Analysts who watch housing for a living are all over the map on this question, some predicting further price drops of up to 10 percent, while others claim prices have bottomed.
Original Page: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheMoneyGame/~3/OJGguOTw2FE/46857026
No comments:
Post a Comment