Housing Recovery A Return To 'Good Times'

According to Broderick Perkins writing for Realty Times, the housing recovery comes with an economic boost, more jobs and higher incomes, but it can also help create a higher level of "good times" in the neighborhood. Housing isn't just a cornerstone for the economy it also plays a major role in weaving a tighter-knit social fabric for America.Housing, including shelter itself, household operations, insurance, fuels and utilities, water, sewage and trash services and furnishings, among other expenditures, account for about 40 percent of the Consumer Price Index, an index of consumer expenditures, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.   Consumer spending is the fuel that powers the nation's economy and with home buying comes millions of jobs for workers who build the homes and others who keep them standing. Beyond the builders and the contractors, residential real estate is an industry with a virtual A-Z (real estate agents to Zip-Lock bag makers) support system of workers in virtually every walk of life. And it doesn't stop there. Among homeowners, housing also has a very strong social component, something you can't put a price on, according to the California Association of Realtors (CAR). Among other findings, studies reveal: Children of homeowners tend to be better math and reading students. Homeowners are more politically active and vote more. Homeowners are more civic and spend more time volunteering. Homeowners are healthier. They report a higher quality of life, less stress and higher self esteem. Click here to read this article and watch the video on both the economic and social benefits of homeownership and the Housing Recovery