Bank of America Survey Reveals Locals Seek Long-Term Benefits of Homebuying
Boston homeowners are increasingly investing in their homes, as 78 percent look for ways to make it more valuable, and 59 percent spend a lot of free time working on their home.
Still, fewer than one in four experienced buyers in the Boston area say a home’s true value is determined by how much it cost to purchase, according to the second annual Bank of America Homebuyer Insights Report. This is fewer than homeowners nationally (33 percent) and any of the 10 markets surveyed.
The report, a study exploring homebuying perceptions and behaviors among adult consumers, also found that amid rising rental rates across the country, 75 percent of Boston-area homebuyers believe owning is more affordable than renting. In fact, current Boston owners were most likely to have purchased their first home because they thought money spent on rent would be better invested toward a mortgage (56 percent).
Boston-specific highlights from the report include:
Bank of America’s Consumer Lending unit includes First Mortgage, Home Equity, Merrill Lynch Banking, and Consumer Vehicle Lending. Each business is focused on delivering a distinctive and consistent client experience through competitive product offerings, quality loan production, choice of multiple connection and delivery methods, and operational excellence based on a client’s unique attributes and relationship with us.
This survey was conducted by GfK Public Communications and Social Science, using GfK’s KnowledgePanel®, which yields results that are statistically representative and projectable to the American population. The survey was conducted online January 24–February 2, 2017. A total of 4,906 adults age 18+ were surveyed, including 1,268 current homeowners and 435 prospective homeowners. In addition, an augment was conducted to achieve 300 adults in 10 local markets: Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Phoenix, Miami, St. Louis, and New York. The margin of sampling error for national data is +/- 3.0 percentage points.
Bank of America is one of the world's leading financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving approximately 46 million consumer and small business relationships with approximately 4,600 retail financial centers, approximately 15,900 ATMs, and award-winning online banking with approximately 34 million active accounts and nearly 22 million mobile active users. Bank of America is a global leader in wealth management, corporate and investment banking and trading across a broad range of asset classes, serving corporations, governments, institutions and individuals around the world. Bank of America offers industry-leading support to approximately 3 million small business owners through a suite of innovative, easy-to-use online products and services. The company serves clients through operations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and more than 35 countries. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
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Susan Atran, Bank of America
Phone: 1.646.743.0791
susan.atran@bofa.com