
Two Renting Couples, No Regrets - Homeownership Series Part 3
From: Curt Nickisch
Series: The Depreciating American Dream
Length: 05:39
The whole push for an ownership society and the housing bubble only pushed homeownership rates up a few percentage points, to the 68% it is today. At huge cost. Trillions of dollars in home equity are now gone as foreclosures pile up. It’s clear that many people – especially at certain stages in life – are better off renting.
This story profiles some proxy advocates of a rentership society: deliberate and even long-term renters. It means more mobility. It means having more money to put in the stock market or toward retirement. It means letting the landlord take care of the problems.
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Piece Description
The whole push for an ownership society and the housing bubble only pushed homeownership rates up a few percentage points, to the 68% it is today. At huge cost. Trillions of dollars in home equity are now gone as foreclosures pile up. It’s clear that many people – especially at certain stages in life – are better off renting.
This story profiles some proxy advocates of a rentership society: deliberate and even long-term renters. It means more mobility. It means having more money to put in the stock market or toward retirement. It means letting the landlord take care of the problems.
Transcript
SUGGESTED LEAD:
And now for another story in the series we’re calling the Depreciating American Dream. So far this week we’ve heard from homeowners who’ve discovered the downsides of buying.
Today we’re going to hear from two couples from Boston's Brighton neighborhood who have the money to buy, but have chosen to rent. Will they someday regret that? WBUR’s Curt Nickisch has that story.
STORY:
FADE IN SOUND OF COOKING NAT
They’re exactly the type of couple you’d expect to be on the market right now, to get that first-time homebuyer tax credit before it expires. But instead of spending this recent Sunday morning mapping out open houses, Prashant Jeloka and Meenal Bagla are scrambling eggs with onion and peppers...
POST COOKING NAT AT SPOON BANGING THEN FADE UNDER FOLLOWING NARRATION AND OUT BY PRASHANT ACTUALITY
They’re whipping up wheat pancakes... They’ve got...
Read the full transcript
Intro and Outro
INTRO:SUGGESTED LEAD:
And now for another story in the series we’re calling the Depreciating American Dream. So far this week we’ve heard from homeowners who’ve discovered the downsides of buying.
Today we’re going to hear from two couples from Boston's Brighton neighborhood who have the money to buy, but have chosen to rent. Will they someday regret that? WBUR’s Curt Nickisch has that story.
OUTRO:




