Volume 19, Issue 1
2008

 

Russell N. James III and Jorge H. Atiles

In the 1980, 1990, and 2000 censuses, Hispanic households had the lowest rate of homeownership of any major ethnic group. Since 2000, however, growth in Hispanic homeownership has outpaced that of other groups. This article uses a four-stage transitional framework to examine Hispanic homeownership progression: renting without plans to buy; renting with plans to buy, but not actively saving; renting while saving for a home; and owning a home.

Data from the Survey of Consumer Finances indicate that, after we control for other demographic factors, Hispanic renters are much more likely to be actively saving to buy a home than either non-Hispanic white or non-Hispanic black renters. However, Hispanic households are less likely to move from the saving to the owning stage. We find evidence of three explanations for this phenomenon: informational barriers to credit, purchase of foreign homes, and recent entry into the saving stage.