Hispanics May Drive Housing Recovery

Hispanic home buyers will emerge as a driving force in the recovering housing market, the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) predicts in a new report. “Despite recent losses suffered by Hispanics during the housing crisis, young Latino families that were unaffected by foreclosure or lost home values are ready to enter the market,” insists NAHREP President Carmen Mercado. “When they do, they will have an exponential impact on housing sales.” Members falling into that demographic bought 288,000 homes in the 2011 third quarter, representing half of the gain in owner-occupied homes nationwide during those three months. Over the next 10 years, meanwhile, they are projected to make up 40 percent of the estimated 12 million new households that will form. “New household growth will be substantially greater for Hispanics than for any other demographic group in the country,” confirms Mortgage Bankers Association President David Stevens. To ensure that their demand for homeownership is met, he believes that lenders, real estate agents, policymakers, and other “stakeholders” in the housing market will have to “recognize the most critical variables in housing type, price range, affordability, and mortgage product terms.” | Read More