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TH E M R EP O RT | 47 O R I G I NAT I O N S E R V I C I N G DATA G O V E R N M E N T S E C O N DA R Y M A R K E T THE LATEST DATA Differences Aside: Homeownership is the American Dream Both Republicans and Democrats also agreed that homeownership is a financially sound decision, even in markets that are setting record-high prices A midst political divi- sion, there is one value that is shared across the nation— homeownership. According to Zillow's recently released Hous - ing Aspirations Report, 68.7 percent of Republicans and 65.1 percent of Democrats reported owning a home as a crucial part of living the American Dream. "In a time of political divi - sion, these survey results remind us of something most Americans share—the sense that owning a home is a big part of living the American Dream," said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Svenja Gudell. "Homeownership—and its ability to create wealth, stability, and community—doesn't depend on political affiliation." Gudell continued, "As we de - bate the national and local politics surrounding affordability and tax reform, it's worthwhile to pause and remember a value most of us can agree on." Both Republicans and Democrats also agreed that home - ownership is a financially sound decision, even in markets that are setting record-high prices and still recovering from the hous - ing collapse, the report noted. In addition, both parties agree on the advantages of homeownership, including raising a family, making ties within a community, and overall quality of life. Additionally, National home - ownership rates are returning from a historical low point following the housing crisis—proving that despite the recession, sentiment toward homeownership remains positive. Overall, 91 percent of Republicans and 89.6 percent of Democrats reported feeling confident that they will be able to afford to live in their current homes. Although about 40 percent of respondents in the West Coast markets don't plan on buying a home for at least five years. The report highlighted two ma - jor metros—Los Angeles, California and Las Vegas, Nevada. Despite Los Angeles being one of the least affordable markets in the nation, 72 percent of respondents agreed that owning a home is necessary to live the American Dream. In Las Vegas, where 23.3 percent of home values are still below peak values set during the housing crash and 15.9 percent of homeowners underwater on their mortgages, 67 percent of respondents residing in this metro agreed that homeown - ership plays a major role to the American Dream. The Housing Aspirations Report is a semi-annual sur - vey sponsored by Zillow and conducted by IPSOS, surveying 10,000 renters and homeowners in 20 metros across the country about their views on homeowner - ship and their personal housing expectations for the future. Migration Patterns In its State Migration Study, LendingTree created a "popularity score" for each state. See what the top regions for relocating are. A new study by LendingTree examined the migration patterns of residents wanting to relocate to a new state, finding that the South is leading the way in terms of moving trends. In its State Migration Study, LendingTree created a "popularity score" for each state by dividing the percentage of all out-of- state mortgage requests by the percentage of total population each state represents. According to LendingTree's methodology, a score of 100 "means a state receives loan requests propor- tional to its population, above 100 means a state is more popular than its share of national popula- tion and below 100 means a state is less popular than its share of the national population." Leading the pack, Florida was the top new destination for 18 out of 50 states. Two of the states in this category are Alabama and Georgia. This aligns with an overall trend that LendingTree found that the majority of out-of-state movers often choose a bordering state to move to. States where Florida was the top relocation destination also included the East Coast states of New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. However, not all states in which Florida was the top relo- cation destination are nearby. Illinois, Idaho, and Ohio also had the largest percentage of their residents who are looking to relocate choose Florida as their desired destination. In 16 states where the top relocation destina- tion was not a bordering state, the desired location was Florida. While this included Texas, overall Texas residents are happy to stay put. The Lone Star State has the highest percentage of residents who are looking to move in state vs. out of state. More than 92 percent of purchase mortgage requests from Texas residents were for Texas properties. Vermont wasn't so lucky—it leads the nation in out-of state mover popularity, with only 75.93 percent of requests in Vermont for in-state properties.