Home-buying jitters

Americans have increasingly soured on the housing market, said Taylor White of Market Watch.com. Only 24 percent think this is a good time to buy a home, a dramatic drop from 54 percent in 2013, a scant five years ago. What’s changed? Prices are higher than ever; 197 towns and suburbs now sport median home values of $1 million or more. Mortgage interest rates are a full point higher than they were last year, and the highest they’ve been since 2011. But perhaps most worrying for future trends is that the Millennial generation has not transitioned into home buying. In the past, Americans often began shopping for homes when they were still under 35. No longer. This generation is skittish about the promise of homeownership; 78 percent say that memories of the Great Recession still weigh on their decisions. variety can “improve their skills and abilities.” They see criticism not as a setback but as a tool to reach personal goals. “They have close friends at work, and they also tend to be strong on both self-control and selfawareness.” Those who take critical feedback well should be much desired by employers. “This guy is a learning machine,” said one boss of an employee who constantly sought out pointed criticism.