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Quick Takes- Industry headlines, statistics and trends

American DREAMS

Despite the unsteady economy and the recent housing down-turn, many Americans still value home ownership and consider it to be more than a simple financial investment, according to a recent survey.

Here are some other findings:

- 8 out of 10 American believe home ownership is important to the economy

- 64% think it is a good time to buy a house, compared with 66% who said it was a good time to bu in 2003, before home prices peaked.

- 37% of Americans think housing prices will rise and 36 percent think prices will stay the same over the next 12 months

- 60 percent believe buying a home today is harder than it was for their parents, and 68% think it will be even harder for their children.

- 7 out of 10 homeowners say they believe buying a home continues to be one of the safest investments available, while 74% believe putting money into a savings or monkey market account is safe.

-65% say they prefer owning over renting, citing non financial reasons, such as neighborhood safety and quality of local schools.

-93% of homeowners with fixed rate loans and predictable payments say they are more satisfied with those than with other types of mortgages.