35% Say Their Home Is Worth Less Than What They Still Owe
The number of homeowners who say their homes are worth more than what they still owe on their mortgage has fallen to its lowest level in nearly two years.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of homeowners shows that 35% of homeowners now say they owe more to the bank that their home is currently worth. Fifty-one percent (51%) say their home is still worth more than the amount left on their mortgage. Another 14% aren't sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
But the number who say their home is worth more than their mortgage is down six points from January and is the lowest result measured since May 2009 when just 49% reported their home was worth more.
While more than 70% of homeowners who make $75,000 or more annually say their home is worth more than the amount they owe on their mortgage, fewer than half of those who earn less report the same.
The number of homeowners who say their home is worth more now than when they bought it has plummeted in the past two-and-a-half years.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 730 Homeowners was conducted on February 5-6, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Rasmussen Reports is a media company specializing in the collection, publication and distribution of public opinion information.
We conduct public opinion polls on a variety of topics to inform our audience on events in the news and other topics of interest. To ensure editorial control and independence, we pay for the polls ourselves and generate revenue through the sale of subscriptions, sponsorships, and advertising. Nightly polling on politics, business and lifestyle topics provides the content to update the Rasmussen Reports web site many times each day. If it's in the news, it's in our polls. Additionally, the data drives a daily update newsletter and various media outlets across the country.
Some information, including the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll and commentaries are available for free to the general public. Subscriptions are available for $4.95 a month or 34.95 a year that provide subscribers with exclusive access to more than 20 stories per week on upcoming elections, consumer confidence, and issues that affect us all. For those who are really into the numbers, Platinum Members can review demographic crosstabs and a full history of our data.
To learn more about our methodology, click here.