Home ownership = Good Life

For years, summaries of academic research have been trickling into the consumer press about the social benefits of home ownership. Now, the National Association of Realtors has completed a systematic review of this research and finds a strong case for public policies that promote home ownership as an unbeatable way to provide the kind of stable housing that leads to a wide variety of household benefits and, by extension, social benefits for the community. Among those pluses, according to NAR's Social Benefits of Homeownership and Stable Housing:

• Higher educational performance and better behavior of children
• Lower community crime rates
• Lessened welfare dependency among households
• More household participation in civic affairs
• Better household health

What is stopping you from owning your home?