Home Ownership

Number of Permanent Homeowners Increases

Why is it important?

Homeownership is one of the most prominent aspects of the American dream. Resident homeowners tend to keep their homes attractive and are more likely to participate in neighborhood interaction, increasing community capacity. Always concerned with diminishing property values, homeowners do tend to resist changes in their neighborhoods and surrounding areas, and discourage community improvements that do not keep home prices high. More recently, second, even third, homeowners living out of the area are consuming the housing stock in the Sierra Nevada. This not only prohibits a sense of community building, it also contributes to pollution from commuters as well as contributing to rising home prices.

How are we doing?

Homeownership among permanent residents is higher in the Sierra Nevada than in California. Between 1990 and 2000, homeownership slightly increased in each subregion. Homeowners are least prevalent in the East Sierra at 62 percent, while the South Central Sierra has the highest percentage of occupied units, 72 percent.

The percent of all homes (second homes included) owned and occupied by a permanent resident is lower in the North and East Sierra than statewide. Greater portions of homes in these subregions are second homes. However, even in these subregions, the percent of all homes owned and occupied by a permanent resident increased between 1990 and 2000.

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