Poll: Consumers believe now’s the time to buy

By Daily Journal Staff

Even in the face of skepticism over the nation’s economy, more consumers are seeing opportunity in today’s housing market, according to a new survey commissioned by Beazer Homes USA Inc., one of the country’s Top 10 home builders.

Recognizing that the current market favors buyers, 77% of respondents said that with good credit and a down payment, the time is right to buy a home, a 20% upswing from a similar January survey.

The national survey of 1,006 adults between the ages of 25 to 72 with minimum household incomes of $40,000 was conducted March 10-13 by MarketTools on Beazer’s behalf.

Beazer, a national home builder headquartered in Atlanta, has Charleston-area operations.

Nearly three of four surveyed agreed that the availability of homes for sale combined with special incentives make this a true “buyer’s market.” And more appear poised for action. Sixteen percent of survey respondents report that they plan to purchase a new home as their primary residence in the next 12 months—a 45% increase over the January survey results—and some 28% are currently saving for a down payment.

Seasoned homeowners, in particular, appear upbeat about the opportunities that exist for prospective home buyers. Nearly three-quarters of experienced buyers in the survey—those who have purchased one or more homes—urge renters to buy a home as soon as they are financially able to do so.

When it comes to purchasing their next home, seasoned buyers are looking for a better location (28%), a bigger home (25%) and more modern features (18%), according to the survey results. First-time home buyers rank the need for a bigger home (28%), investment potential (27%) and the desire for a better location (23%) as the primary motivations for their first home purchases.