Do First-Time Home Buyers Improve Their Neighborhood Quality?

ABSTRACT: This study examines the changes in neighborhood quality in communities where low-income buyers have recently purchased homes. Three questions are addressed: Do lower-income buyers buy in higher quality neighborhoods than the ones in which they rented? Are lower-income buyers locating in higher quality neighborhoods than a comparison group of continuing renters? Are the neighborhoods of new buyers improving or deteriorating relative to those of continuing renters? Results of an analysis of a sample of persons who graduated from home buyer education classes in eight cities indicate that home buyers located in neighborhoods that were similar in quality to those in which they rented. Continuing renters in the sample, however, improved the quality of the neighborhoods between the first and second surveys, while home buyers did not. Finally, while the neighborhoods to which new buyers moved are improving, they are doing so at a slower rate than both the neighborhoods from which they moved and those of the continuing renters.

摘要：本研究考察了低收入购房者近期购房的社区邻里质量的变化。研究涉及三个问题：低收入购房者购买的社区质量是否比他们之前租住的社区质量高？低收入购房者所处的社区质量是否比继续租房的对照组所处社区质量高？与继续租房者的社区相比，新购房者的社区是在改善还是在恶化？对来自八个城市的购房者教育课程毕业生样本的分析结果表明，购房者所处社区的质量与他们之前租住社区的质量相似。然而，样本中的继续租房者在第一次和第二次调查之间其社区质量有所提高，而购房者则没有。最后，虽然新购房者迁入的社区在改善，但改善速度比他们迁出的社区以及继续租房者的社区都要慢。