New data reveals that our nation’s veterans face unique challenges when it comes to achieving homeownership. When members of our military leave active duty and return to the United States, in most cases they do not return to a home they own. In fact, only 18 percent of veterans return to a home they already own at the end of their service, and only one-third of military families report actually looking for a home within a year of return from active duty, according to the CENTURY 21 Harris poll.
Making sense of the story
· As military service members return from duty and transition to
civilian life, 93 percent ofveterans indicate that homeownership is important
to them
· The top road blocks for veterans are the price of homes (36
percent); an inability to come up with a down payment (31 percent); and
personal savings (28 percent)
· Physical or mental health problems create further disadvantages
for veterans when it comes to finding employment and a home. It is
projected that one in every four homeless persons in this country is a
veteran. According to January 2012 figures, there were over 62,000
homeless veterans
· The unemployment rate among veterans is 16 percent, which is more
than double the nation’s average unemployment rate
· Seventy-five percent say that owning a home is one of the most
important things for a soldier returning home
· Among the reasons that becoming a homeowner is so significant to
veterans are a desire to have their own residence (73 percent), to
establish a household (43 percent), and to achieve financial security (36
percent). In addition, the majority of veterans (88 percent) indicated that
owning a home makes them feel safer
Read the full story
http://blog.sfgate.com/ontheblock/2013/11/11/housing-market-another-battlefield-for-u-s-vets/
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