This June 2023 article discusses Americans’ opinions about investments at that time. An opinion poll can describe preferences; it cannot establish which purchase will deliver the best return or whether a particular household should buy a home.
Gallup’s 2023 report, based on its April 3–25 poll, placed real estate first among the listed long-term investment choices for the eleventh consecutive year. The original graphic shows real estate at 34%, gold at 26%, stocks or mutual funds at 18%, savings accounts or CDs at 13%, and bonds at 7%.
Those percentages represent respondents’ choices, not asset returns, probabilities of profit or advice tailored to a Telluride property. The poll’s leading category does not settle a buy-versus-rent decision.
The original article quoted Lawrence Yun’s roughly 40-to-one homeowner/renter net-worth comparison in NAR’s April 18, 2023 coverage. A difference between groups does not show that buying a home causes an individual’s wealth to multiply by that amount. Income, age, existing assets, debt and household circumstances can differ between owners and renters.
Paying mortgage principal can increase equity by reducing debt. Interest, taxes, insurance, association charges and maintenance are costs, not principal savings. Home values may rise or fall, and selling expenses affect what an owner can realize. Renters do not build equity in the rented property through rent payments, but they can save and invest in other assets.
Waiting, renting or buying can each fit different circumstances. A poll does not create a deadline. Contact Mountain Rose Realty for property and market comparisons, and discuss financing and broader investment planning with appropriately qualified professionals.