National Housing Survey by Month

Americans' Optimism About Buying and Selling a Home Hits Record Levels; Shift in Attitude May Foreshadow Gradual Increase in Housing Supply 

Americans’ confidence in their ability to buy and sell a home climbed sharply in May, likely due to reports of strong home price gains, according to results from Fannie Mae’s May 2013 National Housing Survey. The share of respondents who say now is a good time to sell a home reached a record high of 40 percent, compared to 30 percent in April and 16 percent one year ago. At the same time, the share of those who say it is a good time to buy a home moved up 5 percentage points from April to a survey high of 76 percent. Americans’ average 12-month home price change expectation also reached a survey high in May, climbing to 3.9 percent from 2.7 percent in April.

"Sentiment toward selling a home appears to be catching up with the strengthening housing market," said Doug Duncan, senior vice president and chief economist at Fannie Mae. "The share of consumers who think it's a good time to sell a home spiked this month, the largest increase in the survey’s three-year history. This jump may foreshadow a gradual return to more normal levels of housing supply from their lows of recent months. In turn, increased housing supply could serve to temper increasing consumer home price expectations. We will closely watch the potential impact of rising mortgage rates on consumer housing sentiment in the coming months."

Currently, 46 percent of Americans think it would be easy for them to get a mortgage today, retreating slightly from April’s survey high, while 50 percent believe it would be difficult to get a mortgage. Consumers have been asked since the survey’s inception in June 2010 for their perceived ease or difficulty in getting a mortgage, and the question was added in May 2013 as an indicator to the monthly data findings report to help determine whether rising mortgage rates affect their views.

Fannie Mae's monthly national consumer attitudinal survey report provides indicators offering a window into the opinions of Americans across the country. These behavioral insights convey what consumers think about the outlook for owning and renting a home and about their household finances, and may serve as key inputs for determining the future course of investment across housing types.

On this webpage you will find a news release with highlights from the survey results, the April Data Release highlighting 11 consumer attitudinal indicators, a podcast containing highlights from this month’s survey, technical notes providing in-depth information about the survey methodology, the questionnaire used for the survey, and a comparative assessment of the Fannie Mae National Housing Survey and other consumer surveys.

Downloads and Related Links
News Release
May 2013 National Housing Survey Data Release (PDF)
Podcast – May National Housing Survey (.mp3)

Previous Surveys

April 2013 Monthly National Housing Survey

 

Consumers Tip Scales of Home Price Change Expectations; Majority Now Believe Prices Will Climb in Next 12 Months

 

March 2013 Monthly National Housing Survey

 

Americans Consumers' Positive Housing Attitudes Withstand Fiscal Concerns; Many Indicators Holding At or Near All-Time Highs Despite Sequester

 

February 2013 Monthly National Housing Survey

 

Americans Expect Home Prices and Mortgage Rates to Increase; Attitudes About Economy and Household Finances Remain Flat

 

January 2013 Monthly National Housing Survey

 

Consumer Housing Sentiment Continues to Rise as Employment Concerns Wane; More Americans Say Now is a Good Time to Sell

 

December 2012 Monthly National Housing Survey

 

Americans Continue to Expect Growth in Home Prices; Fiscal Cliff Debate Appears to Rattle Overall Economic and Financial Confidence

 

November 2012 Monthly National Housing Survey

 

Improving Consumer Attitudes Suggest Continued Strength in Housing Market; More Americans Believe Economy Headed in Right Direction

 

October 2012 Monthly National Housing Survey

 

Americans' Positive Housing Sentiment Continues Steady Climb, Suggests Solid Footing for Durable Recovery; Increase in Home Purchase and Rental Price Expectations May Support Home Sales

 

September 2012 Monthly National Housing Survey

 

Consumer Attitudes on Housing Continue Summer Season's Gradual Upward Trend; Americans' Overall Economic Sentiment Shows Marked Improvement, Some Areas Post Record Highs

 

August 2012 Monthly National Housing Survey

 

Americans' Outlook on Housing Continues to Inch Forward Despite Dip in Overall Economic Confidence; Recovery Across the Housing Market Will Likely Be a Gradual, Long-Term Climb

 

July 2012 Monthly National Housing Survey

 

Consumer Expectations on Housing Remain Upbeat Amid Cautious Economic and Financial Outlook; Pickup in July Jobs Growth May Help Ease Americans' Concerns

 

June 2012 Monthly National Housing Survey

 

Americans' Optimism About the Economy and Personal Finances Stalling Despite Underlying Continued Confidence in the Housing Market; Consumer Attitudes Demonstrative of Macroeconomic Indicators

 

May 2012 Monthly National Housing Survey

 

Consumer Sentiment Appears to be Reaching Plateau Heading into Summer Season; Americans' "Wait and See" Attitudes Indicative of Decelerating Job Growth and Flattening Macro Trends

 

April 2012 Monthly National Housing Survey

 

Consumer Attitudes Continue Positive Incremental Trend Despite Slow Job Growth; Home Price Expectations and Share of Americans Who Think it is a Good Time to Sell Their Home Continue to Increase

 

March 2012 Monthly National Housing Survey

 

Americans' Expectations Align to Encourage Home Buying; Respondents Expect Significant Rental Price Rise

 

February 2012 Monthly National Housing Survey

 

Consumer Attitudes About Personal Finances and Housing Stabilize Alongside Positive Economic News

 

January 2012 Monthly National Housing Survey

 

Fed Actions Drive Mortgage Rate Expectations; Consumer Home Price Expectations Continue Upward Trend

 

December 2011 Monthly National Housing Survey

 

Consumer Attitudes Improve in December

November 2011 Monthly National Housing Survey

 

Indicators Show Consumer Concerns Stabilize in November; Downward Slide of Consumer Sentiment Appears to Have Halted

 

October 2011 Monthly National Housing Survey

October Monthly Indicators Show Consumers in a Pessimistic Holding Pattern

 

September 2011 Monthly National Housing Survey

September indicators show Americans still very pessimistic about the economy, home prices, and household finances

 

August 2011 Monthly National Housing Survey

August monthly indicators show Americans' pessimism on the economy, home prices, and household finances continues to deepen

 

July 2011 Monthly National Housing Survey

July monthly indicators provide timely insights into key consumer attitudes driving sentiment about the economy, household finances, and housing choices

 

June 2011 Monthly National Housing Survey

June National Housing Survey shows key changes in Americans’ attitudes toward housing and the economy over the last year