The Impact of Homeownership on Civic Involvement. Folks often talk about the financial benefits of owning a home, but the National Association of REALTORS took a look at a different perspective - civic responsibility. Seems reasonable to conclude that a homeowner looks to the neighborhood - not just the owned home - to keep up or improve the value of the home investment. When it is time to sell an appealing neighborhood is a great draw for potential buyers - a neighborhood that is rundown or tired looking has the opposite affect. Renters do not benefit in the same way. Renters also tend not to stay as long as a homeowner according to the statistics. So, the walk-away here is that ownership tends to encourage awareness and participation that benefits the local community. Maybe we can say "lov'n the neighborhood community". If you have not yet experience ownership maybe this could be your year. It is worth it. More in today's article