Despite a rocky housing market, American voters still believe that owning a home is an important goal and is one of the best investments they can make, according to a poll commissioned by the National Association of Home Builders.
Pollsters at Public Opinion Strategies and Lake Research Partners interviewed 2,000 likely voters in the 2012 president elections.
Respondents who don't currently own a home, "especially those under the age of 50, overwhelmingly say they would like to own one. That is a goal for them," said POS partner Neil Newhouse.
Roughly 8% of the participants in the poll are underwater on their mortgage. However, 65% said that owning a home is worth the risk, compared to 34% who disagreed.
"If you are underwater, Americans still agree that it’s worth the risk," despite the ups and downs of the housing market, Newhouse said during a press briefing Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, 17% of underwater homeowners said they are "unhappy" with their decision to buy the home.
There are 10.9 million residential properties in the U.S. where the owner's mortgage debt is higher than the current value of the house, according to a first quarter CoreLogic report.
When asked about the biggest barrier to buying a home, 31% of respondents pointed to saving for a downpayment and closing costs.
Only 8% said they have concerns that home prices might drop and their investment would be worth less than what they paid.
