Barry Ritholtz, Columnist

Hating Homeownership

The perception that housing is a bad investment is influenced too much by recent events.

May 6, 2014 at 12:21 PM UTC

Barry Ritholtz is a former Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is chairman and chief investment officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management, and was previously chief market strategist at Maxim Group. He is the author of “Bailout Nation.”

It's just a matter of time before the love affair resumes. Photographer: Patrick Fallon/Bloomberg

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U.S. homeownership falls to the lowest levels in almost 20 years, blared the headlines. Lots of articles explained "Why Your Home is Not a Good Investment" and why Americans think owning a home is better for them than it is. It seems that America's former love affair with real estate is over.

Blame the recency effect. People have a disconcerting tendency to give more weight to what just happened than long-term trends. This is why the monthly jobs report, a very rough estimate, has such an outsize impact on the markets. This same effect is what is driving people toward renting over buying.