14 Years Running: Why Real Estate Is Still America’s Favorite Investment

Which investment do Americans trust more than stocks, gold, savings accounts, and bonds? The answer hasn’t changed in 14 years.

It’s real estate. And this year, that answer comes with even more conviction behind it. New data shows people aren’t just saying homeownership is a smart move – they’re feeling better about it than they have in years. Here’s why.

Real Estate Takes the Top Spot – Again

Every year, Gallup asks Americans to name the best long-term investment. For the 14th year in a row, real estate came out on top (see graph below):

That’s not a fluke or a hot streak. That’s 14 straight years of beating out stocks, gold, and everything else.

Think about everything that’s happened in that stretch – rising rates, market swings, election years. Through all of it, Americans kept picking real estate. Some of that staying power comes down to something stocks and bonds don’t offer: leverage. A mortgage lets a buyer control an appreciating asset with a fraction of its value down, and every payment builds equity instead of disappearing into a brokerage fee. As Michelle Egan, Head of Credit Solutions, Impact Finance at JPMorgan Chase, explains:

“Owning a home has long been considered one of the most reliable ways to build wealth. Beyond providing shelter, a home is a valuable asset that can appreciate over time, build equity, and serve as a financial resource for generations.”

Some of the chatter online about falling home prices makes this feel less certain than it is. It shouldn’t. Nationally, home prices are still rising – just at a slower pace than a few years ago. Some local markets are seeing slight dips, but those are small next to how much values have grown over the past 5 years. Buy with a long enough time horizon, and the odds still favor building equity, not losing it.

More People Say Buying Beats Renting

Homeownership has been seen as worthwhile for years, but something is shifting. Confidence in it is climbing again.

According to Bank of America’s 2026 Homebuyer Insights Report, 53% of people now say it’s better to buy a home than to rent or move in with family. That’s the first time buying has taken the lead since 2023 (see graph below):

A few other signals point the same direction:

• 90% of people say a home is a valuable investment, up from 79% a year earlier.

• 94% say owning a home provides stability, up from 83% the year before.

• 79% of prospective buyers say they plan to move forward with a purchase regardless of market conditions – a shift from waiting on the sidelines to acting.

Those are sizable jumps in a short window. Here’s what may be driving it.

It’s About More Than Money

Affordability is still tight, and some markets are still hard to break into. That hasn’t changed what people feel about homeownership as a goal, because it was never just a financial decision. It’s a lifestyle choice. As Sheharyar Bokhari, Principal Economist at Redfin, puts it:

“For many homeowners, a home is more than a place to sleep and store belongings – it’s a reflection of who they are. Homeownership can help people put down roots, build relationships and create a space that feels uniquely their own.”

A brokerage account doesn’t do that. A home is the one investment that grows wealth and gives someone a place to build a life. That combination is why it keeps winning the Gallup survey even in years when the math gets harder.

None of that means buying makes sense for everyone right now. Before acting on a national survey, it’s worth weighing three things: how long the home will actually be lived in, whether the monthly payment holds up against a real budget rather than a pre-approval number, and what local inventory and pricing conditions look like in the specific market being considered – those vary enough from one metro to the next that a national average won’t answer the question alone. Munkel Real Estate Solutions works through those three questions with buyers before a single showing, because survey data like this explains why homeownership tends to pay off over time – it doesn’t replace the math on one specific purchase.

Bottom Line

For 14 years straight, Americans have called real estate the best long-term investment, and confidence in owning a home is climbing. That’s a signal worth paying attention to – not a reason to skip the work of figuring out whether this is the right year, and the right home, for a given budget and timeline.

Source: Gallup, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America 2026 Homebuyer Insights Report, Redfin.