American Dream Lives On

A new poll shows that Americans value home ownership more this year than they did last year, aligning with trends that the real estate market is picking up.

Results from Trulia’s American Dream survey indicate that 78 percent of people believe that owning a home is important. This is up from 72 percent of people polled last year. Americans are also optimistic that home sales will continue to rise this year and next year.

However, Fannie Mae suggests that the reasons that people value home ownership have changed as a result of the recession.  Rather than investing in real estate for financial benefits, people want to own homes because they want to be in good school systems and in safe environments.

Market indicators in May 2012 show that the housing market is steadily easing toward recovery. The median list price has jumped more than three percent to $194,900. The median length of a listing is 83 days, dropping nine percent since last year and contributing to the signs that the market is improving.