By Russ Wiles | The Republic
The nation’s homeownership rate recently rose on an annual basis for the first time in what seems like forever — the first gain since 2004.
If this trend is to continue, however, it will have to swim upstream against some of the changes brought about by income-tax reform.
Many factors affect homeownership aside from tax policy. They include pride of ownership, stability of location and relatively predictable financial obligations. Mortgage payments remain constant over the life of a fixed-rate loan — the most common variety — unlike rents, which tend to increase over time.