Almost half of all American adults no longer believe that home ownership is a realistic way to build wealth. That’s according to Gail Cunningham of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.

Given that home ownership is a cornerstone in almost every wealth-building plan, this is astonishing.

Even if the days of selling a house for an enormous profit are over, building equity in a home beats the pants off paying rent.

Of course, ownership is not always better than renting, but in most cases, it still is. And even if home prices are flat, building a little bit of equity makes it worth the cost of ownership, especially when you add in the tax breaks associated with owning a home.

Trouble is, some of the statistics are frightening:

One-third of those surveyed don’t believe they’ll ever be able to afford a home. Forty-two percent of those who once purchased a home, but ...

Home Ownership: How to “Buy on Fear” in Real Estate

by Marc Lichtenfeld, Advisory Panelist

Almost half of all American adults no longer believe that home ownership is a realistic way to build wealth. That’s according to Gail Cunningham of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling.

Given that home ownership is a cornerstone in almost every wealth-building plan, this is astonishing.

Even if the days of selling a house for an enormous profit are over, building equity in a home beats the pants off paying rent.

Of course, ownership is not always better than renting, but in most cases, it still is. And even if home prices are flat, building a little bit of equity makes it worth the cost of ownership, especially when you add in the tax breaks associated with owning a home.

Trouble is, some of the statistics

...

Almost half of all American adults no longer believe that home ownership is a realistic way to build wealth. That’s according to Gail Cunningham of the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, quoted in Barron’s this week.

Given that home ownership is a cornerstone in almost every wealth-building plan, this is astonishing. Even if the days of selling a house for an enormous profit are over, building equity in a home beats the pants off paying rent.

Of course, home ownership is not always better than renting, but in most cases, it still is. And even if home prices are flat, building a little bit of equity makes it worth the cost of ownership, especially when you add in the tax breaks associated with owning a home.

Home Ownership Statistics Are Disconcerting

Trouble is, some of the statistics about home ownership are frightening:

One-third of those surveyed don’t believe they’ll ...