Survey Finds That Americans Prefer Real Estate Over Stock Market

Real estate is America’s favorite long-term investment vehicle according to a July 17 survey from Bankrate.The financial services company surveyed 1,015 Americans in late June, finding that 31% prefer to put the money they don’t need in real estate, while 20% like to invest in stocks. Cash investments stand at 19%, gold and precious metals at 11%, and bonds stand at 7%. Cryptocurrencies are right at the bottom with 5% of people investing in Bitcoin and 4% investing in other currencies. With Facebook’s announcement of Libra, this number is likely to start rising very soon.

This is a big change from 2018, when most Americans favored stocks for long-term investments. Today’s record-high stock prices make individual investors nervous. Since real-estate carries low risk and potentially generates rental income, it’s not surprising that this is where Americans are now putting their dollars.

Bankrate found the numbers consistent across age groups. Millennials seem to be the most eager to invest in real estate, with 36% of them planning to put money in housing. Baby boomers don’t lag too far behind at 30%.

Soft Lender conducted a similar study in February 2019, and the results favored property investment even more. According to a sample of more than 1,500 Americans, 48.6% would put their money in real estate if they had to choose just one kind of investment.

When it comes to cryptocurrencies, those aged 35–44 were the most likely to make an investment. Younger people are usually the most eager to invest in emerging technologies, but this time millennials and Gen Z came behind Gen X. Unsurprisingly, those aged 65 and over were the least interested in cryptocurrencies.

The study also found that men were 172% more likely to invest in cryptocurrencies than women. It would seem that women like to play it safe. They are 27.7% more likely to invest in bonds and 10.3% more likely to invest in property.

The survey also took note of respondents’ geographical locations. According to statistics, Americans in the West are 26.8% more likely to invest in property than those in the Northeast. Northeasterners are 60% more likely to invest in cryptocurrencies than Westerners.

This preference for real-estate investments could continue well into 2020, but it’s likely a lot of people will shift the focus to cryptocurrencies soon. As Bitcoin value continue to rise and Facebook pushes for its new currency, technology will influence the financial ventures people support.