Dual Income Households Helping US Residential Market to Recover, Research Shows

New research indicates that tight mortgage underwriting following the housing bust have hurt single buyers, leaving dual-income households to pick up the slack. According to an annual survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors, the past two years has seen married couples claim a larger share of the buyer market — 65 percent this year compared to 58 percent in 2010. At the same time, single buyers’ share fell 7 percent over the same period. NAR’s Paul Bishop noted that it has been clear for some time “that stringent mortgage credit standards have been holding back home sales, but these findings show that single buyers have been hurt the most over the past two years. Total home sales would be 10 to 15 percent higher without these unnecessary headwinds. He added that while two-income households were more likely to successfully arrange home financing, “most single income buyers could also purchase a home and stay well within their means, if lending requirements were more sensible.” | Read More