Diana Olick | CNBC.com
The U.S. Census Bureau reports homeownership rates fell to 64.8 percent in Q1, the lowest level since 1995. CNBC’s Diana Olick has the details.
The homeownership society is clearly over. Even as home prices soar and value returns to real estate, the one number that just keeps falling is the nation’s homeownership rate. In the first quarter of this year, it fell below 65 percent for the first time since 1995. It now stands at 64.8 percent, according to the U.S. Census, down from a high of over 69 percent at the height of the last housing boom.
“Homeownership is one of the most important paths to the middle class for families. It’s how folks put down roots, build wealth put kids through college, start businesses,” said Shaun Donovan, secretary of Housing and Urban Development. “If there are people who are ready to buy a home, but who aren’t getting access to credit, then we’ve got a problem, and that is what we are facing right now.”
