1 in 5 Americans Say American Dream is “Out of Reach”

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According to a recent survey from the Pew Research Center, most Americans believe they have achieved the American Dream or are on their way to achieving it. While the American Dream means different things to different people, only 17 percent of respondents believe it is “out of reach” for their family.

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Attracting Millennials to Homeownership

Are Millennials interested in settling down into homeownership? This question is subject to heavy debate in the housing industry. In the first part of our “Attracting Millennials” series, “Attracting Millennials into the Housing Ecosystem,” we discussed how we can encourage this young and thriving generational segment as leaders in the housing ecosystem. This second installment will explore how to incite their interest as homebuyers by addressing the perceived and real obstacles they face.

Myth: Millennials Are Not Buying Homes

NAWRB’s article “Millennials and the Homeownership Puzzle” explored whether this generation’s desire for homeownership has mitigated because they are delaying “independent living, marriage and parenthood much later than older generations did.” These three milestones, it continues, “all contribute to homeownership and the desire to own a home.”

Millennial women, especially, are prioritizing their education and careers over marriage and buying a home of their own. Many of them are college students still living at home. Of women living with their families, 56.1 percent are between the ages of 18 and 24. Moreover, women are marrying into their late twenties and older. In 1940, women on average married at 21.5 years of age; today, the average age has increased to 27.
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Celebrate National Veterans Small Business Week!

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National Veterans Small Business Week (NVSBW) is dedicated to celebrating veteran, service member, National Guard and Reserve members, and military spouse entrepreneurs from October 30 – November 3, 2017. Throughout the week, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), alongside SBA district offices, resource partners and communities around the country, will host local and virtual events centered on “access to capital, federal and commercial procurement opportunities, and entrepreneurial training.”

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New Home Sales Surge in September 2017

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The sale of new homes increased to the fastest pace in 10 years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). New single-family home sales rose in September 2017 to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 667,000 sales, marking an 18.9 percent increase from the 561,000 new homes sales in August and a 17 percent spike from the 570,000 new homes sold in September 2016.

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Adopt a Shelter Dog Month!

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The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the American Humane Association (AHA) observe October as National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month and Adopt-a-Dog Month®, respectively. The goal of these observations is findings dogs their “forever homes” and encouraging the public to adopt and not shop for their next canine companion.

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Senate makes it Harder to Sue Financial Institutions

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The Senate has rejected a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) bill that would have made it easier for consumers to sue financial institutions in court. Historically, banks and credit card companies have included arbitration clauses in their financial contracts, preventing people from grouping their resources in class-action lawsuits; the Senate’s ruling enables the continuation of this practice.

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Breast Cancer Awareness and Early Detection

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October is breast cancer awareness month, an international campaign focused on raising awareness of the disease and fundraising for breast cancer research. The importance of early detection and awareness is paramount, as the American Cancer Society affirms that between the late 1980s and 2014, these factors—along with better treatments—led to a drop of 38 percent in women’s probability of dying from breast cancer, meaning that 297,300 fewer breast cancer deaths happened during that period.

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