Taylor Scott International News
Rising home prices in many metro areas in the United States have helped home owners build housing wealth in recent years, according to new research from the National Association of Realtors. But the continued decline in home ownership means the gains are going to fewer people and likely leading to worsening inequality in the nation. The NAR reviewed data on home ownership rates, changes in single family median home prices and a measure of inequality between 2010 and 2013 to estimate wealth and income inequality in 100 of the largest metropolitan statistical areas across the US. The findings reveal that over 90% of metro areas have experienced declining home ownership rates at a time when home values have risen and incomes have remained flat. According to the study, wealth distribution is seen as most unequal in metro areas with the lowest homeownership rates, including high cost areas such as Los Angeles, New York and San Diego. According to Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, home prices have steadily recovered in most metro areas in the past five years, providing a boost of $5 trillion in housing wealth from the downturn’s cyclical low for home owners during this time. ‘Home ownership plays a pivotal role in the US economy and has historically been one of the primary sources of wealth accumulation for middle class families,’ he said. ‘Unfortunately, due to an underperforming labour market, insufficient housing supply and overly-stringent underwriting standards since the recession, home ownership has plunged to a rate not seen in over two decades. As a result, the country has become more unequal as the number of homeowners has fallen while the number of renters has significantly risen,’ he added. Yun explained that the inability for renter households to become home owners is leaving them behind financially. A typical homeowner’s net worth climbs because of upticks in home values and declining mortgage balances. On the other hand, renters have likely seen increased rental housing costs and are less likely to have been active investors in the stock market’s strong growth in recent years. NAR’s study examined intensifying or lessoning inequality by measuring the change in the number of owners and renters during the recent period of rising home values. The findings show that an overwhelming 93 out of 100 analysed markets experienced a declining home ownership rate from 2010 to 2013. Because renters typically have much lower net worth than home owners, a metro area’s low homeownership rate is associated with greater wealth inequality. As a result, Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, Fresno in California and San Diego were found to have the most unequal wealth distribution. ‘Changes in wealth during this period are especially profound in high cost metro areas that have seen robust price growth. For instance, a typical home owner in San Jose, California, enjoyed an increase of $210,671 in housing wealth while renters were left behind and likely exposed to annual rent increases,’ said… Taylor Scott International
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