Abstract

The Transition into Low-Income Homeownership: Does Marital Status Matter? [PDF]
Authors: Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Pajarita Charles, Shenyang Guo, Kim Manturuk, Clinton Key
January 2010

We investigate the causal relationship between marital status and the transition to homeownership among a sample of low- to moderate-income renters. Using data from the Community Advantage Panel Study (N=1,530), we use discrete-time survival analysis with propensity score matching to explore this relationship. Results indicate married couples have higher odds of buying a home, and do so at faster rates, than their unmarried counterparts. These findings were robust to the control of selection-bias between the married and unmarried groups using propensity score matching. The findings suggest efforts to encourage marriage among low-income couples may be associated with subsequent economic mobility through homeownership.

Keywords: homeownership, life course, low-income families, marital status, propensity score matching