Real Estate - Best Long Term Investment?

Every year, the Gallop Organization releases the “Economy and Personal Finances Poll”, which asks Americans to rank the best options for long-term investments.

 The Gallup Poll contrasted Real Estate with Gold, stocks/mutual funds, savings accounts/CDs, and bonds to determine where most Americans are most confident putting their money. Given high consumer confidence and a steady appreciating market, it’s no surprise that Real Estate came out on top.  Here are the numbers:

 (Source: http://www.keepingcurrentmatters.com/2014/10/29/gallup-poll-real-estate-best-long-term-investment-2/)

Real Estate, however, didn’t always wear the investment crown. Gold was the most popular investment among Americans in 2011. Gold was not yet an investment option in 2008, a year also marked by tanking real estate and stock markets, making room for savings accounts as the most popular investment. The current 24% of Americans who put faith in stocks is up from 19% in 2012.

What does this mean? Due to our steady recovery and rising home prices, Americans have a renewed faith in real estate ownership. Given the ever-volatile nature of the stock market and the strong housing market, Real Estate will remain on top for years to come.