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According to a recent survey, one in five (20 percent) homeowners has recently moved or would like to move because of being unhappy with the current neighborhood or community. When searching for their next home, homeowners also cited they would change their search criteria when considering a new home.

The top search terms include: ease of commuting by car (38 percent), access to health and safety services (34 percent), family-friendly neighborhood (33 percent), availability of retail stores (32 percent), access to cultural activities (21 percent) and public-transportation access
(19 percent).

The survey was conducted by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, an international franchise network of real estate brokerage firms, in collaboration with the Meredith Corporation, a major media company and publisher of Better Homes and Gardens magazine and other major publications.

It was concluded that a significant new trend has evolved for prospective buyers searching for the right new home. They are putting a higher priority on lifestyle factors offered in local communities.

Responding to this trend and to help ease the new-home search, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate has created the Lifestyle Search, an environment where consumers can search for important lifestyle attributes they want in their community. Other real estate organizations may develop similar programs.

“While the relation of price to features has become very favorable in many areas throughout the country, ultimately the surrounding community may determine how happy the buyers are with their home purchase,” said Sherry Chris, president and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate. “Our new Lifestyle Search tool is an extension of our total service philosophy. We believe that this holistic lifestyle approach will be the preferred way to search for a home into the future.”

Q: Is it true that home foreclosures are declining?

A: The number of foreclosure filings for the second quarter of this year was the lowest reported since the fourth quarter of 2007, according to RealtyTrac’s midyear 2011 foreclosure market report. All categories of foreclosures showed decreases on both a quarterly and annual basis.

Totaling 608,235 for the quarter, foreclosure filings showed an 11 percent decrease from the first quarter of the year and a 32 percent decrease from the second quarter of 2010. The total number of foreclosure filings for the first half of 2011 was 1,170,402 — demonstrating a 25 percent decrease from the previous six months and a 29 percent decrease from the first half of 2010.

Q: Why is the homeownership rate dropping?

A: The drop in the homeownership rate from an all-time high of 69.2 percent in 2004 to 66.4 percent in the first quarter of 2011 reflects a decline from unsustainable levels to something closer to historical averages, according to a study released by Mortgage Bankers Association’s Research Institute for Housing America.

While the homeownership rate may have bottomed out, it could fall another one or two percentage points because of tightened credit and other factors, the paper says.

Titled “Homeownership Boom and Bust: Where Will the Homeownership Rate Go from Here?” the study was conducted by professors Stuart Gabriel of UCLA’s Anderson School and Stuart Rosenthal of Syracuse University. They found that the increase in the homeownership rate in the middle of the past decade extended to all age groups, but was most pronounced among individuals under age 30.

Q: Are more people deciding to rent their residence?

A: Most people still believe that owning a home is a solid financial decision, and a majority of renters aspire to home ownership as a long-term goal. According to the 2011 National Housing Pulse Survey released recently by the National Association of Realtors, 72 percent of renters surveyed said owning a home is a top priority for their future, up from 63 percent in 2010.

Seven in 10 Americans also agreed that buying a home is a good financial decision, while almost two-thirds said now is a good time to purchase a home. The annual survey, which measures how affordable housing issues affect consumers, also found that more than three quarters of renters (77 percent) said they would be less likely to buy a home if they were required to put down a 20 percent down payment on the home, and a strong majority (71 percent) believe a 20 percent down payment requirement could have a negative impact on the housing market.

Jim Woodard writes for Creators Syndicate, creators.com.