More Americans favor real estate for long-term investment than any other choice – but millennials aren’t so sure
More Americans consider real estate the best pick for long-term investment than any other choice – but millennials aren’t so sure, according to a Gallup poll.
Gallup found that 35% of Americans felt real estate was the soundest long-term investment, while 22% chose stocks and mutual funds, 17% chose gold, 15% savings accounts and CDs, and 7% picked bonds.
“Real estate and gold have switched positions over the last five years as gold prices have tumbled and home sales recovered from the 2007-2009 housing market collapse,” Gallup’s Jim Norman wrote in a release. “In August of 2011, 34% of Americans named gold as the best investment for the long term, compared with 19% for real estate.”
The poll found that Americans younger than 30 are the least likely group to think real estate is the best investment choice – only 26% chose it as their number-one pick. Surprisingly, renters are about as likely as homeowners to favor real estate over other investment options.
The stock market, meanwhile, has struggled to regain favor among Americans in the wake of the financial collapse.
“Both the housing market and the stock market have recovered from catastrophic losses suffered in the last decade, with average house prices and the Dow well above their pre-crash high marks,” Norman wrote. “But Americans have been much more likely to regain confidence in real estate than in stocks as ‘the best’ long-term place to invest their money.”
Gallup found that 35% of Americans felt real estate was the soundest long-term investment, while 22% chose stocks and mutual funds, 17% chose gold, 15% savings accounts and CDs, and 7% picked bonds.
“Real estate and gold have switched positions over the last five years as gold prices have tumbled and home sales recovered from the 2007-2009 housing market collapse,” Gallup’s Jim Norman wrote in a release. “In August of 2011, 34% of Americans named gold as the best investment for the long term, compared with 19% for real estate.”
The poll found that Americans younger than 30 are the least likely group to think real estate is the best investment choice – only 26% chose it as their number-one pick. Surprisingly, renters are about as likely as homeowners to favor real estate over other investment options.
The stock market, meanwhile, has struggled to regain favor among Americans in the wake of the financial collapse.
“Both the housing market and the stock market have recovered from catastrophic losses suffered in the last decade, with average house prices and the Dow well above their pre-crash high marks,” Norman wrote. “But Americans have been much more likely to regain confidence in real estate than in stocks as ‘the best’ long-term place to invest their money.”
