Ask people where they'd put their money for the long haul. The answer hasn't budged in 14 years. Real estate wins. And this year, people believe it more than they have in a while.
The Streak Continues
Every year, Gallup asks Americans to name the single best long-term investment. For the 14th year running, real estate came out on top, ahead of stocks, gold, and everything else on the list.
Fourteen years is not luck. That stretch has covered rate hikes, market corrections, three presidential elections, and a pandemic. Through all of it, homeownership kept its lead. That kind of consistency tells you something about how people actually think about a home versus a portfolio.
Michelle Egan, who leads Credit Solutions and Impact Finance at JPMorgan Chase, put it this way: a home is one of the most dependable paths to building wealth because it does double duty. It shelters you, and it appreciates.
You've probably seen headlines about falling prices somewhere and wondered if that changes the calculation. It doesn't, really. Nationally, prices are still climbing, just not as fast as they were a couple of years ago. Some pockets are softening slightly, but those dips are small next to the gains of the last five years. Home values, more often than not, go up over time. If you're planning to stay put for a while, the equity tends to follow.
Here on the Peninsula, that holds true too, with one condition. Homes that are prepared well and priced right are still appreciating and still drawing strong offers. The ones sitting on the market are almost always the ones that skipped one of those two steps, not proof the market has cooled.
Buying Is Pulling Ahead of Renting Again
Something else shifted this year. Bank of America's latest Homebuyer Insights Report found that 53% of people now believe buying beats renting or moving in with family. That's the first time buying has led since 2023.
A few other numbers from that same report stood out:
- 90% say a home is a valuable investment, up from 79% a year ago
- 94% say owning a home brings stability, up from 83% the year before
Those are sharp jumps for a single year, and they point to something bigger than interest rates.
It Was Never Only About the Money
Affordability is still tight in a lot of markets, ours included. That hasn't dented how people feel about owning a home, because the appeal was never purely financial to begin with. It's personal.
Sheharyar Bokhari, an economist at Redfin, described a home as more than a roof and a mailing address. It's where people put down roots and build the kind of life they can't rent.
A brokerage statement doesn't do that. A home builds equity and gives you somewhere to actually live your life at the same time. That combination is hard to replace.
Bottom Line
For 14 straight years, Americans have called real estate their top long-term investment, and confidence in owning is climbing again. On the Peninsula specifically, that confidence is backed up by results, as long as a home is prepared and priced correctly. If you've been sitting on the fence about buying or selling, let's talk through what that first step looks like for you.
Ready to talk strategy or explore your next move?
Reach out to the Vano Maurry Team for expert guidance, local insight, and personalized support — whether you’re buying, selling, or just exploring your options.
We’d love to help you build a plan that feels smart, secure, and aligned with your goals.
Content courtesy of Keeping Current Matters. Graphic courtesy of Gallup.
