Staking Out the Stats

Despite cooling housing prices and rising interest rates most consumers don’t think a real estate bubble burst will affect them financially. According to a recent survey conducted by TransUnion subsidiary TrueCredit and RoperPublic Affairs, some 68% of homeowners report that a sharp drop in housing prices would be somewhat or very unlikely to have a negative effect on their finances. However, when asked about the impact of increased interest rates, 42% said they would be able to continue to comfortably make their monthly mortgage payments and 5% said they would be forced to sell their house at a loss if an increase in interest rates occurred in the next year. Here are a few more survey findings: * 72% of men compared to 64% of women say that a sharp drop in prices would be somewhat or very unlikely to affect them in a negative way * 38% of homeowners with an annual income of less than $30,000 say it is likely that a drop in housing prices will negatively affect their financial situation, while only about 26% of homeowners in $50,000+ households share this view * Those making under $30,000 are also more likely to say that a spike in interest rates would force them to sell their homes at a loss (9% vs. 3% of those over $50,000 annually).