Survey shows 1 in 20 Americans plan to buy a home within next year

Five percent of U.S. residents plan to purchase a home in the next year, according to a survey released today by Move.com, an online real estate database. This percentage is down slightly from a survey conducted in March, according to the New York Times, but up around 1 percent from June figures. Of those who said they planned to buy, around a quarter said that their decision was motivated by their belief that housing prices had bottomed out. Home purchasers are most likely to be 34 years old or younger and to live in the southern or western states, the survey says.