Americans’ Optimism About the Economy and Personal Finances Stalling Despite Underlying Continued Confidence in the Housing Market

Washington, D.C.—Housing market confidence among Americans continues to trend in a positive direction despite stalling optimism about the economy and personal finances, according to results from Fannie Mae’s June 2012 National Housing Survey. Results indicate flattening economic trends may be contributing to waning consumer expectations about their personal financial situation. Nevertheless, Americans’ continued positive sentiment about housing appears to remain buoyed by low house prices and interest rates at historically low levels.

Respondents expect home prices to increase 2 percent in the next year, on average, and 35 percent of Americans say that home prices will go up in the next 12 months. In turn, the share of consumers who say they would buy if they were going to move increased by 6 percentage points this month.

At the same time, 36 percent of Americans think the economy is on the right track (down 2 percentage points since May) and 57 percent think the economy is on the wrong track (up 1 percentage point). The percentage of respondents who expect their financial situation to remain the same over the next year dropped by 4 percentage points from last month to 42 percent, while only 18 percent say their household income has improved (also down 4 percentage points).