Why are Hispanic- and Asian-American homeownership rates so low?: Immigration and other factors

The homeownership rates of Hispanic- and Asian-American households are sign ificantly less than that of other demographic groups in the US, especially after accounting for income and other characteristics. This naturally leads to an investigation of the impact of immigration characteristics of variou s groups on the propensity for homeownership. It is found that being an imm igrant has a substantial negative effect on the probability of being a home owner but that this effect dissipates over time. The relative youth of thes e two groups in and of itself plays a significant role in lowering their ho meownership rate, as does the relatively high rate of residence in areas wi th high value-rent ratios. (C) 1999 Academic Press.