With the real estate market making a phenomenal comeback, many more families are looking into home ownership. For some, homeownership merely presents itself as a wise financial choice and valuable asset. However, in other terms, owning your home can provide wonderful benefits to both you and your children. Included here are a few ways that growing up in a family-owned home may benefit your kids for the rest of their lives.
Academically
For years, experts have studied what makes some children more successful than others. Is it merely circumstance, luck or simple nature? Many children excel academically, even if their parents were not the brightest in their schooling years. Recent experts are beginning to see an unexpected correlation between homeownership and higher academic marks in children.
Children who grow up in a family-owned home demonstrate 7% higher marks in reading, 9% higher marks in mathematics, and are 25% more likely to graduate high school. There is even a 16% higher chance that children growing up in family-owned homes will graduate college, giving them better odds of future earnings and personal security.
The reasons for this correlation are still uncertain to many experts. Some attribute the benefit to the higher percentage of nuclear families and greater relational stability. Others say, it is because those who can afford a home are also more likely to be able to afford other benefits for their children, such as many books and tutors and nextlink internet services. Regardless of the true source, this is a statistic that is only just beginning to be studied.
Physically
Another way homeownership can benefit your children is by keeping them healthier overall. Most family owned homes will have a small yard or play area for the children, making fresh air and exercise more accessible and frequent. Time spent out of doors can help children weigh less, experience less stress and learn to manage emotions.
There is also the fact that your home is better looked after when occupied by the homeowner. You are more likely to avoid dangerous chemicals, as well as rid your home of black mold or other household hazards, for the sake of your family’s wellbeing.
Emotionally
Many homeowners cite personal security as the main reason they chose to buy a home; it has never been a purely financial decision, and is incredibly important in creating emotional stability. Knowing you have a secure home, that you are unlikely to be kicked out of, can lower stress levels in parents and children.
While children may not understand the emotional security of a home as well as their parents, they do reap the rewards. Kids benefit from routine and familiarity, and coming home each day to the same house can breed a kind of comfort and security. In the long-term, this creates children who are more secure and confident, even after leaving the family home.