Low-Income Homeownership

<DIV>A Brookings Institution Press and Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies publication<BR /><BR />A generation ago little attention was focused on low-income homeownership. Today homeownership rates among under-served groups including low-income households and minorities have risen to record levels. These groups are no longer at the margin of the housing market; they have benefited from more flexible underwriting standards and greater access to credit. However there is still a racial/ethnic gap and the homeownership rates of minority and low-income households are still well below the national average.<BR /><BR />This volume gathers the observations of housing experts on low-income homeownership and its effects on households and communities. The book is divided into five chapters which focus on the following subjects: homeownership trends in the 1990s; overcoming borrower constraints; financial returns to low-income homeowners; low-income loan performance; and the socioeconomic impact of homeownership.<BR /></DIV>