Harvard’s 5 Financial Reasons to Buy a Home

Eric Belsky is Managing Director of the Joint Center of Housing Studies at Harvard University. He also currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Housing Research and Housing Policy Debate. Last year, he released a paper on homeownership - The Dream Lives On: the Future of Homeownership in America. In his paper, Belsky reveals five financial reasons people should consider buying a home.

Here are the five reasons, each followed by an excerpt from the study:
1.) Housing is typically the one leveraged investment available.
2.) You're paying for housing whether you own or rent.
3.) Owning is usually a form of “forced savings”.
4.) There are substantial tax benefits to owning.
5.) Owning is a hedge against inflation.

Bottom Line
We realize that homeownership makes sense for many Americans for an assortment of social and family reasons. It also makes sense financially.

Source: KCM Blog