Older homes, associations, and owner satisfaction

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper is an examination of the relationship between older homes, homeowner associations, and owner satisfaction. An understanding of this relationship is important to housing researchers as the United States features homes that are aged 50 years and older and an increasing number of homeowners’ associations (HOA). The Morris and Winter Theory of Family Housing Adjustment was used to help understand some of the normative differences between the two eras of housing and the residential satisfaction of those who inhabit them. Analyzing data from the 2013 American Housing Survey, we found that HOAs had a positive effect on residential satisfaction related to housing and neighborhood quality when controlling for other variables. The implications raised in this paper may be further addressed by housing researchers who are interested in examining the benefits of HOAs that may be difficult to measure. This study contributes to the literature in that a nationally representative dataset and quantitative methods are used to examine the research question about whether age of home makes a difference in one’s residential satisfaction after adjusting for household features, neighborhood organization, and overall quality.