Housing in the USA

Safety, schools, and housing expenses are issues that concern most people, whether they own their own homes or rent a home. The 2007 American Housing Survey released yesterday by the federal government gauges those issues and others to try to find out how well Americans are doing, or not doing.

The survey found that about a third of US homeowners made a down payment of 6 percent or less when purchasing their homes, which could be a contributing factor to the country’s foreclosure crisis, according to a report in the New York Times.

In the whole country, the number of housing units increased from 124.4 million in 2005 to 128.2 million in 2007, according to the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development, which conduct the survey every two years. Of those units, 75.6 million homes were owner-occupied, and nearly 25 million were owned free and clear.

The median monthly housing costs for homeowners were $927, while the median monthly costs for renters were $755.

In 2007, the median home value was $191,471, meaning half the nation’s homes were valued at less than $191,471 and the other half were valued above that price. The survey, however, does not fully account for changes in property value caused by recent real estate market turmoil. The last time the survey was conducted in 2005, the median home value was $165,344, according to the Times.

The median monthly principal and interest payment on an owner-occupied unit’s mortgage was $852 last year.

Meanwhile, the size of American homes increased slightly from 2005. The median size of all homes, ranging from mobile homes to single-family homes, was 1,769 square feet. The median amount of space per person also rose to 769 square feet, the Times reported.

Residents of about 15 percent of homes and apartments reported that serious crimes had happened in their neighborhoods in the past year, but 90 percent said they were satisfied with local police protection.

And finally, the Times reported, 60 percent of the households with small children said their child attended a satisfactory public elementary school.

Since these are national figures, I’m wondering how they stack up with local reality? For instance, do renters and owners out there find the median housing costs to be on target? Or are they a far cry from what you’re paying? How about the school issue, is anyone surprised that 60 percent are happy with the elementary schools? To me, that seems like a disappointingly low figure.

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