From the Census Bureau:
CENSUS BUREAU REPORTS ON RESIDENTIAL VACANCIES AND HOMEOWNERSHIP (PDF)
National vacancy rates in the fourth quarter 2007 were 9.6 (+ 0.4) percent for rental housing and 2.8 (+ 0.1) percent for homeowner housing, the Department of Commerce’s Census Bureau announced today. The Census Bureau said the rental vacancy rate was not statistically different from the fourth quarter rate last year, or the rate last quarter (9.8 percent each). For homeowner vacancies, the current rate was not statistically different from the fourth quarter 2006 rate or the rate last quarter (2.7 percent each). The homeownership rate at 67.8 (+ 0.5) percent for the current quarter was lower than the fourth quarter 2006 rate (68.9 percent) and also lower than the rate last quarter (68.2 percent).
From CNBC:
Home Ownership Fading And So Is American Dream
It’s not like you couldn’t have predicted this, but the home ownership rate in the U.S. fell in the fourth quarter of 2007 to its lowest level since the beginning of 2002–this from a record high in the middle of 2004.
President Bush, as I recall, touted that record rate in his mantra of an “ownership society.” Oh well. I’m guessing the current gang of Presidential wannabes will jump all over this one.
But what really gets me in this report released today from the U.S. Census is the little-reported homeowner vacancy rate. It’s up at 2.8 percent, which is a full percentage point above where it was 2 years ago. There are currently close to 18 million vacant homes stretched across this country, a full million more than just a year ago. The bulk of the increase, of course, is in foreclosed homes.
Think about it–more and more empty houses in neighborhoods across America, as the home ownership rate continues to fall. Where’s the “American Dream” hiding in all that?
It just seems amazing to me so many homeless, so many who truley want home ownership, so many displaced due to natural disasters and the goverment spends so much to assist.
Can’t we get these people into homes. Make some homes temporary shelters, make some homes temporary till can get there own and make some homes permanent with assistance.
We have to start conserving resources and this sure seems like a great way to start.
I read on the blogs yesterday that rats are invading alot of abandon homes this is crazy. We have people in our own country liviing in cars and woods and sharing homes with others and living in hotels and they could benefit most from these abandon homes.
I think the goverment needs to be a little more creative on how to over come this ARM problem.