NAHB Study shows home buying boosts the economy

A new consumer spending analysis from NAHB highlights another reason why home building helps drive a healthy economy: In their first year of ownership, new home buyers spend about $10,601 on appliances, furnishings and home improvement projects — 2.6 times as much as other home owners in a typical year.

NAHB economist Natalia Siniavskaia studied the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey to help quantify the wave of activity — and cash — spent to install new refrigerators, buy couches and make other improvements as new owners personalize their homes.

“While construction jobs are the most obvious impact of new homes on the economy, it’s important to realize that it doesn’t stop there,” said NAHB Chairman Granger MacDonald, a home builder and developer in Kerrville, Texas.

“It’s the architects, the heating technicians, the lumber dealers. And it’s the mom-and-pop owners at the local furniture or appliance store who are helping these buyers make their house a home,” he said.

During the first two years after closing on the house, a typical buyer of a newly built single-family home tends to spend on average $4,500 more than a similar non-moving home owner.

A previous NAHB study based on 2004-2007 data collected during the housing boom showed somewhat higher spending by home owners overall. But the tendency of buyers to outspend non-moving owners on appliances, furnishings and home improvements was similar.

In the aggregate, most of the demand for appliances, furnishings and remodeling projects in a given year is generated by non-moving home owners, because they outnumber home buyers by such a wide margin.

But new owners’ impact is noticeable — and vital, MacDonald said. “The health of housing — and new home buying — is key to the overall state of our economy.”

Read Siniavskaia’s Eye on Housing blog post on her findings. See the study here.

Do you know someone looking for help buying their first home?

Do you know a potential home buyer who needs help in buying their first home? The Greater Greenville Association of Realtors Housing Fair is a great opportunity to visit with the professionals and learn what you need to know to successfully navigate the home-buying process.

This year's event is called "Living the Dream: Going from Renter to Homeowner" and will take place a the TD Convention Center on November 5, 2016 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Workshops include:

• Financial Literacy/Credit 
• Down Payment Assistant Resources
• Why Use a Realtor?
• Identity Theft
• FHA, USDA Rural Housing, Fannie/Freddie what does it all mean?
• The Process and what to expect: Searching, Making an Offer, Inspections, Comps, and Closing

Admission is free and open to the public. Be sure to share this opportunity with any potential home buyers looking for guidance in buying their first home.

For more information contact the Greater Greenville Association of Realtors at (864) 672-4427.

Remodeling Month Is In Full Swing

May is when the flowers are all blooming, the temperatures are rising, and a large number of home shoppers are interested in buying. But the springtime housing market isn’t just for buyers and sellers.

This is the time of year when a large number of home owners are highly motivated to cross off a few items from their home improvement to-do lists.

Last year, Americans spent an estimated $150 billion on owner-occupied remodeling projects. After a somewhat mild start to 2016, the remodeling industry is primed for continued growth as the year progresses – growth that’s sure to be amplified during the month of May when the National Association of Home Builders Remodelers celebrates National Home Remodeling Month.

Remodelers across the country are encouraged to further emphasize the benefits of home remodeling projects and the advantages of hiring a professional to get the job done right the first time.

Throughout the upcoming month, NAHBNow will feature several recent projects, techniques and strategies from NAHB members that have helped deliver more value to their clients and drive more traffic to their business, despite the increasing competition.

NAHB also makes it easy for remodelers to promote their industry with a toolkit of ready-to-use resources to engage consumers with trending remodeling topics such as:

• Benefits of hiring a professional remodeler
• Facts about aging in place
• Basics of green remodeling
• Lists of top remodeling projects
• Suggestions on how to hire a remodeler

A guide on how to get started promoting National Home Remodeling Month is available on nahb.org, along with tips to maximize consumer outreach.

A Renewed Push for Housing Finance Reform

In an effort to advance housing finance reform that will provide certainty and stability to the nation’s financial markets and promote job and economic growth, NAHB has updated its 2012 white paper on this key housing issue.

Why Housing Matters: A Comprehensive Framework for Housing Finance System Reform reflects market developments since 2012 and retains the central tenet of NAHB’s housing finance system reform policy – the creation of a new securitization system for conventional mortgages backed by private capital and a privately funded mortgage-backed insurance fund with a federal government backstop in the event of catastrophic circumstances.

NAHB supports comprehensive finance reform based on the bipartisan Johnson-Crapo bill (S. 1217) approved by the Senate Banking Committee in the last Congress that would gradually transition Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into a private-sector-oriented system, where the federal government’s role is clear, but its exposure is limited.

The home building industry’s ability to meet the demand for housing and contribute significantly to the nation’s economic growth depends on an efficient housing finance system. However, years after the fact, home buyers and builders continue to confront challenging credit conditions triggered by an overzealous regulatory response to the Great Recession.

While there are many reasons Congress and federal regulators must tackle housing finance reform, some stand out as compelling:

1. The Housing Act of 1949 pledged a “decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family.” That principle remains a bedrock for Americans, although delivering on the promise is more difficult in 2015 and beyond.
2. Homeownership has been the most effective step on the ladder into the middle class and to create wealth for most Americans since the 1950s, and continues to fill that role while also fulfilling the promise of the Housing Act of 1949.
3. Housing is “made in America.” The jobs that home building creates cannot be shipped overseas. Most of the products used in home construction are manufactured here in the U.S. and directly correlate to American manufacturing jobs at all levels.
4. A reformed national housing finance policy supports the Housing Act of 1949’s goals. Equally important, fixing an inefficient housing finance system that lacks effective financial safeguards for the nation’s housing and mortgage markets will markedly reduce the probability of triggering another catastrophic Great Recession.

NAHB will continue to work diligently with policymakers to advance housing finance reform that will maintain an appropriate level of government support to preserve financial stability, encourage private capital back into the marketplace and ensure liquidity and stability for homeownership and rental housing.

View the NAHB white paper on housing finance system reform.

The Housing Market: Explaining the New Normal

From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

In the past five years, while the population was growing, the number of renters has increased by nearly 6 million. The number of homeowners has dropped by 328,000.

The story explores recently-released Census data on home ownership trends. Read more by clicking here.

Yes, Millenials aspire to own a home

A recent survey of younger Americans illustrates that the goal of homeownership remains an important part of the American Dream.

The economic future of Millennials is key to the future of housing demand. A record number of individuals aged 18 to 34 years are delaying household formation as a consequence of the Great Recession. In a recent Eye on Housing blog post, this situation was referred to as the “Great Delay,” as slow wage growth and rising student loan burdens have reduced attainment of traditional goals associated with the American Dream, including marriage and homeownership.

An important research question is whether these delays represent deferrals due to economic conditions or true changes in preferences and goals.

A recent survey from the Demand Institute provides new evidence. The study surveyed 1,000 18- to 29-year-olds about current conditions and market preferences. The findings indicate that homeownership remains an important long-term goal.

Among the findings for Millennials:

• Over the next five years, 8.3 million new Millennial households will form.
• 74% plan to move over the next five years, with the top reason being need for better housing.
• 64% expect to be married in five years and 55% expect to have kids.
• 75% believe homeownership is an important long-term goal and 73% believe ownership is an excellent investment.
• 24% currently own a home and another 60% plan to purchase.
• 36% expect their next home to be a multifamily rental, while another 36% expect it to be a single-family owner-occupied residence.
• 48% prefer their next home to be in the suburbs, while 38% want urban locations.
• 88% own a car.
• Student loans do delay homeownership (but college raises lifetime incomes).
• 44% think it will be difficult to qualify for a mortgage.

For more details, read the survey findings from the Demand Institute.

NAHB: To Rent or Buy is Not an Either/Or Decision

A recent article in U.S. News & World Report by NAHB economist Robert Dietz shows why housing policy should support both home owners and renters. View the summary below.

Though public opinion polling indicates that most renters want to become home owners, the economic fallout from the Great Recession has produced a surge in rental demand and sluggish demand for homeownership, particularly among first-time buyers. The result has been a declining homeownership rate (64.8% for the second quarter of 2014), even as other housing indicators have improved.

While achieving ownership has been delayed for many younger families, over the last few years it has become relatively more common to hear pundits argue that as a society we should pull back our support for homeownership. Such discussions typically involve income and other economic-based descriptions of home owners and renters as if these groups or people were distinct and fixed classes.

The Circle of Homeownership
These contrasts are misleading. The lifecycle of homeownership has important consequences when examining differences between home owners and renters. Using government data and taking several factors into consideration – age, marital status, income, children, space requirements and structure – it becomes clear that most people will be renters and home owners during different stages of their lives.

First, home owners as a group are typically older than renters. Census data shows that the number of renters exceeds home owners for age groups younger than 35 but that the homeownership rate increases with age, rising from 59% for those in the 35-to-44 age bracket and equaling or exceeding 70% for those aged 45 to 84 years.

This makes sense given the typical pattern of an individual leaving school, renting in order to accumulate savings, and then purchasing a first home.

Since home owners as a group tend to be older, they also have higher incomes. The data reveal that the median household income of renters was $31,888 in 2012, compared to $65,514 for home owners. A considerable part of this income difference is due to age.

And because homeowners tend to be older, they are also more likely to be married. According to the Census data, 60% of home owners are married couples, compared to only 27% of renters.

Married couples are also more likely to have children present in the home, and therefore need more room and space. Thus, it should come as no surprise that Census data reveals that 84% of the nation’s single-family homes are comprised of home owners while multifamily housing tends to be renter dominated.

One-Size Policy Does Not Fit All
All of these factors produce the local and regional variations in homeownership across the nation. For example, urban dominated New York has the lowest homeownership rate among states at 54% (and the District of Columbia is lower still at 42%), while states with older populations in the Northeast and Midwest have higher homeownership rates.

These data highlight that policy debates should not frame renters and home owners as distinct classes. Support for the development of rental housing is an important social goal to maintain safe, affordable and decent housing for those for whom renting is the best choice. And preserving our nation’s commitment to homeownership is needed given the well-documented social and private benefits that homeownership produces for families and communities.

It would be a mistake to weaken policy support for either form of housing, as the result would be diminished housing policy overall.

View the full U.S. News & World Report story.

NAHB: Lower Operating Costs Mean New-Home Buyers Can Afford More House

During New Homes Month in April, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is showing home buyers why they can afford a higher-priced home—if it’s new construction. Using data from the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2011 American Housing Survey, NAHB found that buyers can purchase a more expensive newer home and achieve the same annual operating costs as an older, existing home.

“Home buyers need to look beyond the initial sales price when considering whether to buy new construction or an existing home,” said NAHB Chairman Rick Judson, a home builder from Charlotte, N.C. “They will find that with the higher costs of operating an older home, they can often afford to spend more to buy a new home and still have annual operating costs that fit their budget.”

NAHB’s study first looked at how utility, maintenance, property tax and insurance costs vary depending on the age of the structure. It found that homes built before 1960 have average maintenance costs of $564 a year, while a home built after 2008 averages $241. Similarly, operating costs average nearly 5 percent of the home’s value for pre-1960 structures, while they average less than 3 percent when the home was built later than 2008.

The study then compared the first year after tax cost of owning a home by the year the house was built, taking into account the purchase price, mortgage payments, annual operating costs and income tax savings. This data showed that a buyer can afford to pay 23 percent more for a new house than for one built before 1960 and still maintain the same amount of first year annual costs.

While mortgage payments will be greater with the higher purchase price of a newly-built home, the lower operating costs mean the home buyer will have annual costs that are about the same as if they’d bought a lesser-priced, older home with a smaller mortgage payment and higher operating expenses.

Other benefits of new homes include open space floorplans, creative storage options and entertainment resources that cater to modern lifestyles, as well as the safety consideration that the structure was built and wired to modern codes and standards.

“For a family working with a fixed annual budget, new-construction homes offer outstanding comfort, convenience and overall cost savings,” said Judson. “Put that together with today’s near-record low interest rates and competitive prices, and the time has never been better to buy a new home.”

Home buyers can access home buying and home building information and resources on NAHB’s website atwww.nahb.org/forconsumers.

Huffington Post: A Rental Society is not the Answer

The Irreplaceable Opportunity of Homeownership: A Rental Society Is Not the Answer

Some have recently suggested that in the wake of the housing foreclosure crisis, America should become a society whose housing is more centered on rental units than homeownership. A move in that direction would be a mistake.

One of the persistent and unfortunate myths of the housing crisis is that a push to expand homeownership was culpable for the housing crash. This is plainly and demonstrably false.

Read the entire report at HuffingtonPost/Business by clicking here.

The Top 12 HBA Actions, Number 5: www.protecthomeownership.com

Builder Review Daily is exploring the Top 12 actions that NAHB has taken on behalf of Home Builders across the nation this Spring.

Number 5, implementation of a new website to harness public support for homeownership:

With numerous legislative and regulatory proposals taking aim at the American Dream of homeownership and federal elections just around the corner, NAHB is seeking to harness the public's support for this worthy cause through our newly launched website at www.ProtectHomeownership.com.

This consumer-oriented website alerts readers to the numerous threats to homeownership, including recent proposals to scale back or eliminate the mortgage interest deduction, raise the minimum downpayment on most mortgages and revoke federal government support for the housing finance system. Importantly, the site also provides multiple ways for the public to take positive action to protect this fundamental element of American life. For example, visitors are encouraged to sign an online petition that urges lawmakers to keep housing as a national priority, and are told how they can participate in upcoming homeownership rallies that NAHB has scheduled in communities across the country in coming months. For more information, contact: Blake Smith (800-368-5242 x8583).

By the Numbers, NAHB's Priced Out Analysis: 431

Three years ago NAHB released an analysis that helps assess the impact of any action that increases the price of a new home.  This Spring NAHB updated that analysis, call the "Priced Out Effect," including an analysis by metro area.

Nationally, a $1,000 increase in the price of a home prices out 232,447 families from homeownership.  In Greenville, 431 families are priced out of homeownership by that same $1,000 price increase.

What can increase the price of a new home?  Many things including government regulation, increases in prices for materials and labor, and even crime.  One recent example is the efforts by the fire sprinkler industry to mandate automatic fire sprinklers in new homes.  Assuming a $6,000 increase in the price of a typical new home, the fire sprinkler mandate will price out 2,586 families from owning a new home in the greater Greenville area.

You can read the entire report, including an analysis by metro area, at NAHB.org by clicking here.

Greenville News: Poll Finds Homeownership Still the American Dream

A poll by TD Bank found that 56 percent of residents in the South consider Homeownership an essential part of the American Dream.  Sixty three percent said they plan to own a home in the near future.

Read the complete report at the Greenville News by clicking here.

New Website Enlists Public in Defense of Homeownership

With numerous legislative and regulatory proposals taking aim at the American Dream of homeownership and federal elections just around the corner this November, NAHB is seeking to harness the public's well-documented support for this worthy cause through our newly launched website at ProtectHomeownership.com. This consumer-oriented website alerts readers to the numerous threats to homeownership, including recent proposals to scale back or eliminate the mortgage interest deduction, raise the minimum downpayment on most mortgages and revoke federal government support for the housing finance system. The site also connects visitors to social communities at Facebook.com/ProtectHomeownership and Twitter.com/4Homeownership to facilitate discussion on related issues and news. In all, we hope to empower citizens from all across this country to step up and tell their political representatives how important homeownership is to them, and how strongly they feel about the need to preserve critical homeownership incentives in the U.S. tax code and regulatory policy. Click here to visit the site.

Gallup: Homeownership rate now just 62 percent

A recent poll by Gallup, the national polling firm, found that the homeownership rate in the U.S. has sunk to just 62 percent, down from 73 percent in Gallup polls conducted in 2006 and 2007.  The poll asked respondents whether they own their own home.

At one time Presidents Clinton and Bush advanced initiatives to increase homeownership to 70 percent, but according to U.S. Census data, the actual homeownership rate peaked at 69.2 percent.

The Census Bureau puts the homeownership at 66.4 percent at the end of 2011.

Read more at MSN.com by clicking here.

Credit Sesame: Homeowners are staying in their homes longer

According to a study by Credit Sesame, a credit counseling firm, the average tenure of homeowners selling their homes has increased by 50 percent since the real estate market downturn began.  According to their report, the average tenure of a homeowner between 2001 and 2008 was just 6 years.  By 2011, that number had risen to 9 years.

Read the full report, including why people sell their homes, at creditsesame.com by clicking here.

Did You Know: Characteristics of Owner-Occupied Housing in the Greenville Metro Area

A recent analysis by NAHB shows how the Greenville are stacks up against other communities in the US when comparing owner-occupied and single-family housing statistics.  Did you know:

• Greenville ranks 99 in the nation in population, with 619,832 in an area that encompasses Pickens County as well.
• Greenville ranks 96 in owner-occupied housing units, with 164,688 owner-occupied homes.
• Greenville ranks 155 in homeownership rate.  The Greenville area homeownership rate is 68.2 percent.
• Greenville ranks 303 in vacancy rate with 3.7 percent of owner-occupied homes standing vacant.
• Greenville ranks 271 in percent of single-family detached housing, with 82.1 percent of is housing stock classified as single-family detached.
• Greenville ranks 228 in median home value.  The median value of a home in Greenville is $142,600.
• Greenville ranks 260 in median income of homeowners.  The median income of homeowners in Greenville is $54,549.
• Greenville ranks 71 in the nation in homes built in 2005 or later.  According to NAHB's report, 11.2 percent of homes in Greenville were built since 2005.
• The percent of owner-occupied homes in Greenville fell 1.7 percent.  Greenville ranks 235 in the nation in the percent increase in owner-occupied homes.

You can read NAHB's report, and view other metro areas in the country, at NAHB.org by clicking here.

Credit Counselors: Consumers still eager to buy a house

According to a poll by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), the American dream of homeownership is alive and well. When asked what they were most anxious to do if their financial situation were to improve, more than half, 51 percent, indicated they would buy a home. Home repairs and improvements captured the second highest number of respondents, with 23 percent selecting that option.

Read the entire report at DebtAdvice.org by clicking here.

Gingrich, Clyburn homeownership rally speeches posted

Did you miss the Homeownership Works Rally?  Wish you had been there to hear Speaker Newt Gingrich and Congressman Jim Clyburn talk about their positions on homeownership?

Both are now available for viewing thanks to the South Carolina REALTORS® association.

Click here to view Congressman Jim Clyburn.

Click here to view Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Statewide poll shows overwhelming support for homeownership in South Carolina

With the South Carolina GOP presidential primary less than two weeks away, presidential contenders should heed a new statewide poll showing that voters in the Palmetto State believe that owning a home remains an integral part of the American Dream and that policymakers need to take active steps to protect homeownership.

“The survey underscores that South Carolina voters believe homeownership is a core value that anchors the middle class and they oppose efforts to eliminate or reduce the mortgage interest deduction and to make it more difficult for creditworthy home buyers to obtain affordable financing,” said Hal Dillard, president of the Home Builders Association of Greenville and a home builder in Greenville County.

“South Carolina’s voters are sending a clear message that the opportunity to own a home remains a cherished ideal and the government has an important role to play to keep homeownership affordable for hard-working American families,” added Dillard. “That’s a message we hope candidates running at all levels of government this November will heed.”

The polling found that 98 percent of South Carolina home owners are happy with their decision to purchase a home and 79 percent of all voters believe that despite the risk of ups and downs in the housing market, owning a home is one of the best long-term investments they can make.

Moreover, 65 percent of the respondents said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate for Congress who proposed eliminating the mortgage interest deduction and 73 percent believe it is appropriate and reasonable for the federal government to provide tax incentives to promote homeownership.

These are among the key findings of a survey of likely South Carolina voters that was conducted on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders by Public Opinion Strategies of Alexandria, Va., and Lake Research Partners of Washington, D.C.

Among the other survey results:

• 99 percent of home owners said that it is important that they own their own home. 
• Homeownership and a retirement savings program are considered by voters to be their best investments. 
• Nearly three out of four voters who are not currently home owners (73 percent) said it was a goal of theirs to buy a home. 
• 64 percent believe it is appropriate and reasonable for the federal government to help home buyers afford a long-term or 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. 
• 68 percent of voters would oppose eliminating or reducing tax deductions such as the mortgage interest deduction in exchange for a lower federal income tax rate if it meant that their final tax bill would be higher. 

South Carolina’s home builders, Realtors, business leaders and elected officials held a rally on the steps of the statehouse in Columbia on Jan. 12 to show their support for homeownership.  More than 800 people came out.  In addition, the rally was an opportunity for presidential hopefuls to voice their support for a continued federal role for housing and to offer their views on how to help prospective home buyers and boost the housing market and overall economy.

This statewide survey of 500 likely 2012 voters was conducted Jan. 2-5 by Public Opinion Strategies of Alexandria, Va., and Lake Research Partners of Washington, D.C. It has a margin of error of ±4.4 percent.

Read the complete results of the survey at HBAofGreenville.com by clicking here.

National Poll highlights importance of homeownership

By an overwhelming margin, American voters strongly value homeownership and would oppose efforts to weaken or eliminate the mortgage interest deduction or diminish a federal role to help qualified home buyers obtain affordable 30-year mortgages, according to a new nationwide survey gauging likely voters’ attitudes towards homeownership and housing policy issues.

“The American electorate is sending a clear message that owning a home remains a cornerstone of the American Dream and preserving a federal commitment to homeownership is essential to maintain a thriving middle class and get housing and the economy back on track,” said Neil Newhouse, a partner and co-founder of Public Opinion Strategies.

Conducted on Jan. 2-5 on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders by the Republican and Democratic polling firms of Public Opinion Strategies in Alexandria, Va., and Lake Research Partners in Washington, D.C., the comprehensive survey of 1,500 likely voters includes data from key political “swing areas,” including National Journal political analyst Charlie Cook’s swing House and Senate seats and Stuart Rothenberg’s presidential swing states. The survey, which has a margin of error of ±2.5 percent, is a follow-up to a similar national poll conducted last May.

The poll shows that three out of four voters – both owners and renters -- believe it is appropriate and reasonable for the federal government to provide tax incentives to promote homeownership. This sentiment cuts across regional and party lines, with 84 percent of Democrats, 71 percent of Republicans and 71 percent of Independents agreeing with this statement.

Also, two-thirds of respondents say that the federal government should help home buyers to afford a long-term or 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage.

Moreover, 73 percent of voters oppose eliminating the mortgage interest deduction. These figures held firm across the political spectrum, with 77 percent of Republicans, 71 percent of Democrats and 71 percent of Independents against doing away with the mortgage interest deduction.

Meanwhile, 68 percent would be less likely to vote for a congressional candidate who proposed to abolish the deduction, a figure that was virtually identical across all party affiliations (69 percent of Independents and 68 percent of Democrats and Republicans).

A majority of voters are also against proposals to reduce the mortgage interest deduction, eliminate the deduction for interest paid for a second home, limit the deduction for those earning more than $250,000 per year, scale back the deduction for home owners with mortgages above $500,000 and do away with the deduction for interest paid on home equity loans.

“With the 2012 election season in full swing, candidates running for the White House and Congress would be wise to heed the will of the American voters, who have expressed broad support for government policies that encourage homeownership and oppose efforts to make it more difficult to get a home loan and to tamper with the mortgage interest deduction,” said Celinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners.

Among the poll’s other key findings:

• 96 percent of home owners are happy with their decision to own and 84 percent who are “underwater,” or owe more on their mortgages than their home is worth, expressed the same sentiment. 
• 79 percent of home owners would advise a family member or close friend just starting out to buy a home, and 69 percent of those who are underwater on their mortgage would offer the same advice. 
• 74 percent said that despite the ups and downs in the housing market, owning a home is the best long-term investment they can make. 
• Homeownership and a retirement savings program are considered by voters to be their best long-term investments. 
• 78 percent of respondents said that owning their own home is very important to them. 
• Nearly seven out of 10 voters who are not currently home owners (68 percent) said it was a goal of theirs to buy a home. 
• Job uncertainty and saving for a downpayment and closing costs are the biggest barriers to buying a home. 

The survey findings are consistent with the results of other public opinion surveys. In a New York Times/CBS News poll conducted in June, 89 percent said that homeownership is an important part of the American Dream and more than 90 percent indicated that it is important for the federal government to continue the mortgage interest deduction.

According to a Pew Research Study conducted last March, 81 percent of respondents agree that buying a home is the best long-term investment a person can make and 81 percent of renters surveyed said they would like to buy a house.

“Even in a down housing market, homeownership remains a core American value, with the vast majority of citizens who do not currently own a home saying they want to buy a home,” said Bob Nielsen, president of the National Association of Home Builders and a home builder from Reno, Nev. “Those running for office in November need to understand that voters will not look kindly on any candidates who seek to dismantle the nation’s long-term commitment to homeownership.”

Poll results can be downloaded at www.nahb.org/homeownershippoll.