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Grow It Goal 4
Families maintain and retain the value of any owned or inherited land and property.
Common Sense
  • Housing typically loses value unless owners maintain and improve them.
  • Due to fewer resources, low-income families have more difficulty maintaining their homes, causing a reduction in the rates of return.
  • Except in high-amenity places, housing value may not appreciate much in rural areas; in fact, it may depreciate.
  • If housing does not appreciate, it may become a liability. Families may not be able to sell their houses, which can trap them in one place or cause financial ruin.
  • Manufactured homes in cooperatively owned parks maintain value and appreciate.
  • Rural housing is generally at a greater risk of damage due to extreme weather.
Fast Facts
  • Manufactured homes make up a significant proportion of the homes in rural areas. REF
  • Manufactured homes in “resident-owned communities” (ROCs) sell for 12% more per square foot and sell faster than homes in “investor-owned communities.” REF
  • 60% of substandard housing units in non-metropolitan areas are occupied by owners, compared to a rate of 38% in urban area. REF

Check out related Action Ideas and Alerts below! Or view other Grow It goals here.

Rural IDAs

February 26, 2010 by

Earning It isn’t enough to lift families out of poverty—they have to Keep It and Grow It too. Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) are one of the most successful and tested ways to help families Keep It and Grow It. But there are special challenges and opportunities when you start and run an IDA program in a rural place. The basics […]

Filed Under: Goal 1: Families set short-term and long-term financial goals, and attain them., Goal 1: Family members establish a financial cushion by regularly building their savings over time., Goal 2: Families find, finance at competitive rates, and purchase quality homes in their communities., Goal 2: Families use reasonably priced services, accounts and products for their savings, checking and other financial transactions., Goal 3: Families build retirement-restricted financial assets., Goal 3: Families get loans they need without using predatory lenders., Goal 4: Families maintain and retain the value of any owned or inherited land and property., Goal 4: Families reduce their debt burdens and improve their credit ratings over time., Goal 5: Children of working families get high quality pre-K-to-12 schooling, and attain higher education levels that improve their family’s economic status., Grow It, Keep It, ReFresher Webinar
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