FIRM FOUNDATIONS REALTY

Home Ownership and The American Dream ~

     Despite the hit it took in the wake of the downturn, ownership remains good for individuals and society. And, yes, Americans still long for a home of their own.

One of the most resonant and thoughtful answers came from media personality Martha Stewart. She quoted Samuel Johnson, "To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition," and expanded on that sentiment in her explanation of the American dream: "Our families and our homes are the center of American life. And everything we do is to make those homes—and the lives in them—more beautiful, more comfortable, more functional, and more full of life and light and joy for those we love. At the end of the day, that is the American Dream. All the rest is window dressing."

It’s true: Home is the one place where we create an environment that’s all our own. It’s also where we establish traditions, mold our family’s values, and form our identity. But does it matter whether we own the home or not? In the past several months, as the country has worked to sort through the wreckage of the financial crisis, that question has been hotly debated, with some critics saying that too much emphasis has been placed on the virtues of home ownership.

 For Realtors®, there’s no more urgent business in 2011 than debunking the notion that home ownership is no longer part of the American dream. It’s a premise stated most famously in a September 2010 Time magazine cover story. Writer Barbara Kiviat said Americans had made buying a house into a "fetish," responsible for a litany of ills ranging from lingering economic stagnation to suburban sprawl. In the same month, Daniel Indiviglio of The Atlantic said that while it can be "great in many situations," home ownership probably "shouldn’t be considered to be a part of the American dream."

 Don't let your dream die! Keep it alive! Owning a home is still possible. Give us a call and we can help you every step of the way! As Martha Stewart would say, 'that's a GOOD thing'. :-) 

  ~ Brenda ~

"There's just no place like home"