Survey: Consumers confident home prices will rise

Americans remain highly confident about the nation's housing prospects, with more than four out of five homeowners expecting the value of their home to appreciate over the next five years and nearly seven out of 10 calling it their most valuable investment, according to results from a new nationwide survey.

"The poll clearly debunks the more sensational media reports speculating on the demise of the housing market," said David Pressly, president of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Statesville, N.C. "It is interesting to note that other polls conducted by major news organizations have come up with similar results, indicating that despite the current housing market downturn Americans resoundingly believe that buying a home is the best investment they can ever make."

The survey of 2,000 households, including more than 1,750 registered voters, was conducted by RT Strategies between Oct. 26-29.

The polling found that 81 percent of homeowners believe that the value of their homes will rise over the next five years. Only 13 percent felt their home would fall in value, while 4 percent expected no change and 3 percent were unsure.

In addition, 69 percent of the respondents listed their home as their most valuable investment. By contrast, this was followed by 401(k) and other retirement accounts, with just 11 percent of those polled citing this as their top investment.

Looking ahead, NAHB said the housing market is poised for solid and sustained growth in the future.

"We are in the midst of an inevitable adjustment following the housing boom of 2004-2005 when housing market activity soared to unsustainable levels," said NAHB Chief Economist David Seiders. "Housing demand should stabilize in short order, and the downward adjustment to housing production should run its course by mid-2007. The market that emerges from this correction will display good balance between supply and demand, and move to a healthy and sustainable trend based on solid underlying fundamentals."

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