Despite Economy, Demand for Housing Rises
According to a new Move.com survey, half of all homeowners (49 percent) say they would buy another home today if they could sell their current home for what they paid for it or more.

Demand for homeownership remains strong despite today’s economy, and first-time buyers are responsible for a significant portion of all home sales, the survey finds. One in five consumers (21 percent) says they plan to purchase a home in the next 12 months to five years, with 7.9 percent planning to purchase within the next two years. Of those planning to purchase a home in the near future, half (50.7 percent) are first-time buyers, and more men are interested in owning a home as a first-time buyer than women (55 percent vs. 45 percent).

Factors that influence homeowners’ decisions to sell their current home and purchase another one include a desire to: decrease monthly expenses (25.4 percent); obtain more space for a growing family (20 percent); find better schools for their children (14.1 percent); be closer to neighborhood amenities (12.3 percent) or work (10.9 percent); and move to a larger, nicer home because they are doing well (10 percent).

Interest in real estate as an investment has more than tripled in the past year, with 17.2 percent of potential home buyers indicating they plan to purchase a home in the near future as an investment compared to 5.6 percent a year ago.