Home Ownership Below 50%: Is it Possible?

Is it even conceivable that home ownership in the US could drop from its current 67% – 68% range to 50% or even lower?

That is the gist of a conversation I had with a real estate agent last January.   Based on his reading of the tea leaves, he couldn’t foresee a scenario where home ownership rates could survive the mess we still find ourselves in.

You would be hard pressed not to see significant signs that the Government is totally committed to maintaining a high level of home ownership as illustrated by mortgage interest and state property tax deductions, avoidance of capital gains upon selling personal and investment properties, the Homebuyers Tax Credit versions 1 and 2 and others.

So… it seems implausible that home ownership could get below 60% let alone 50%.

Yet, as real estate investors, the premise of such a long and hard decline can only conjure up notions of great income producing deals and the opportunity for wealth building not seen in many years… that is of course unless this author got his way!

You have to get down to the fourth paragraph from the bottom to read that investors (speculators) and home owners may not be worthy of owning rental properties, but instead “non-profits” may be better suited to the job.

As a capitalist, this is enough for me to pop a gasket as it represents thinking that takes us one step further down the path where risk taking is punished and opportunities are provided to only the chosen few.

When I interviewed Josh several weeks ago we discussed the challenges presented by ever increasing pressure on our real estate businesses and profits by government organizations.  It is not hard to see how government is influenced with articles like this one.

What are you thoughts on both the referenced article and this subject in general?

Photo: naturesdawn

Related posts:

1. BREAKING: Fed Rescues AIG with $85 Billion Loan (bailout) for 80% Ownership Stake
2. Obama’s Not-State of the Union Speech; Comes As Home Prices Plunge; Consumer Confidence Falls Off Cliff
3. New Home Sales Up; New Home Sales Down: A Real Estate Economy In Flux Makes Trends Hard To Define
4. First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit needs one of those Modifications
5. New Home Sales fall 3.6% for September, First Decline Since March

Article Author: Peter Giardini

Peter has written 81 articles for us.
Visit Peter's Website: http://www.theclubmastermind.com

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Peter is an active and successful real estate investor in the Baltimore Maryland region for the past 8 years and is one of the founders of The Club Mastermind a real estate investing coaching program focused on local coaches helping investors to perfect their game.