{"id":1684,"date":"2014-07-03T07:21:34","date_gmt":"2014-07-03T11:21:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/?p=1684"},"modified":"2019-07-05T06:54:19","modified_gmt":"2019-07-05T10:54:19","slug":"homeownership-freedom-and-independence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/2014\/07\/03\/homeownership-freedom-and-independence\/","title":{"rendered":"Homeownership, freedom and independence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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While we enjoy the barbecues and fireworks that come along with the Fourth of July Holiday, we might take a moment to think about our freedom and independence. And of course \u2013 homeownership is an expression of those liberties which is part of the \u201cAmerican Spirit\u201d that drives us to achieve the American Dream<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American Dream is not dead, as some will have you believe; the dream of homeownership is like a phoenix that is renewed after the fire, and is resumed by a new generation of home buyers. In his April 2009 Vanity Fair article \u201cRethinking the American Dream,\u201d <\/em>David Kamp gave a wide perspective of the American Dream; from its origin to diametrically opposed viewpoints. In his conclusion, Kamp states, \u201c\u2026The American Dream should accommodate the goal of home ownership, but without imposing a lifelong burden of unmeetable debt. Above all, the American Dream should be embraced as the unique sense of possibility that this country gives its citizens\u2014the decent chance, as Moss Hart would say, to scale the walls and achieve what you wish.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we emerge from the housing and financial crises, many are discussing the benefits of homeownership once again. Even after the Great Recession, many prefer owning a home over renting. Survey after survey indicates that a majority of respondents positively viewed homeownership as a desire or goal (Rohe & Boshamer, Reexamining the Social Benefits of Homeownership after the Housing Crisis<\/em><\/a>, Joint Center for Housing Studies Harvard University, August 2013).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what is it about homeownership that makes it an aspiration for so many of us? Besides the fact that we all need a place to live; a home is an asset that has relative value to the housing market at any given time. Housing is also still perceived by many as an investment that can appreciate over a period of time. Additionally, those who have a mortgage on their home may be able to take advantage of the mortgage interest tax deduction (check with your tax preparer).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home owners are more inclined to maintain their homes and neighborhoods, as well as being invested in protecting their home and community; which may account for lower incidences of reported crime. Besides stabilizing communities, many of these benefits may also account for positively affecting home values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, there has been a lot said about the social benefits of homeownership. A National Association of Realtors\u00ae blog post by Research Economist Selma Hepp, titled Social Benefits of Homeownership and Stable Housing<\/em><\/a> lists many of the documented social benefits. She cites that home owners tend to: be more charitable; participate more in their community (including voting); have an increased connection to their neighborhood and neighbors; have an increased general positive life outlook; express an increased self esteem and higher life satisfaction; and be healthier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many studies that also indicate homeownership benefits children. Hepp includes some of the benefits of children living in owned homes, which include: lower teen pregnancy rate; higher test scores; higher high school graduation rate; decreased delinquencies; and an increased participation in organized activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although June was officially declared \u201cHomeownership Month\u201d in 2002; July is a more appropriate month because of homeownership\u2019s association with freedom, independence, and the American Dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Protected<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Dan Krell
Copyright \u00a9 2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Disclaimer<\/a>. This article is not intended to provide nor should it be relied upon for legal and financial advice. Readers should not rely solely on the information contained herein, as it does not purport to be comprehensive or render specific advice. Readers should consult with an attorney regarding local real estate laws and customs as they vary by state and jurisdiction. Using this article without permission is a violation of copyright laws.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While we enjoy the barbecues and fireworks that come along with the Fourth of July Holiday, we might take a moment to think about our freedom and independence. And of course \u2013 homeownership is an expression of those liberties which is part of the \u201cAmerican Spirit\u201d that drives us to achieve the American Dream. The … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Homeownership, freedom and independence”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[419,81,406,262,13],"tags":[926,895,797],"class_list":["post-1684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-home-owner","category-home-ownership","category-homeowner","category-homeownership","category-real-estate","tag-home-owner","tag-homeownership","tag-real-estate"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1VZLf-ra","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1684"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1684\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5114,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1684\/revisions\/5114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}