The painful collapse of the housing market has soured many people on the benefits of home-ownership, and there's a new cottage industry of financial commentators who actively discourage Americans from buying a house. According to a new survey by, well, Rent.com, 87 percent of U.S. adults no longer think owning a home is "the most essential aspect of their American Dream." (Real estate site Trulia has its own survey, with completely opposite results.) Is renting wisely really the new aspiration for Americans?
Renting fits with the original concept of the American Dream: "The desire of many Americans to own a house won't go away," says Jon Talton in The Seattle Times. But let's not conflate that desire with a housing industry marketing campaign. "The 'American Dream' was once the right to [achieve] economic and social mobility amid political freedom." Well, the only housing option compatible with mobility and freedom is renting.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
5 ways to help the environment while on vacationThe Week Recommends An afternoon of planting trees could be the best part of your trip
-
Doctors are taking on dental duties in low-income areasUnder the radar Physicians are biting into the dentistry industry
-
Instagram hopes that blurring nudity in messages will make teens saferThe Explainer The option will be turned on by default for users under 18
