Recap: Voices from Home: The State of Homeownership in Massachusetts

On June 24, the Boston Foundation hosted Voices from Home: The State of Homeownership in Massachusetts, an online event presenting new research from the MassINC Polling Group on the experiences of homeowners across the Commonwealth. Opening remarks were delivered by Orlando Watkins, Vice President and Chief Program Officer at the Boston Foundation, who noted that TBF's Racial Wealth Gap Partnership has catalyzed more than $20 million in down payment assistance to first-time homebuyers since its 2022 launch.

Rich Parr, a senior researcher with the MassINC Polling Group, presented findings from a survey of more than 800 Massachusetts homeowners recruited through eight partner organizations working in the homeownership space, including CHAPA, Mass Housing Partnership, NeighborWorks Housing Solutions, Urban Edge, Way Finders, and others. The survey was offered in English, Spanish, and simplified Chinese, and explored satisfaction, financial impacts, housing barriers, and the effectiveness of homeownership support programs.

Eighty-eight percent of respondents reported satisfaction with owning a home, driven primarily by intangible factors like pride of ownership and control over their living space. Most also said homeownership has been a net financial positive, particularly for those who purchased earlier and at lower prices. Respondents who used first-time homebuyer education, down payment assistance, or deed-restricted affordable homeownership programs reported better outcomes across multiple measures—including lower foreclosure risk, higher satisfaction, and stronger financial stability. 

Cost and inventory, however, remain significant barriers. Fifty-two percent of respondents cited high home prices as a barrier to purchase, and 44% pointed to limited housing availability. The burden falls hardest on recent buyers: 70% of those who purchased in 2025 or 2026 named high prices as a challenge, compared to far fewer who bought more than a decade ago. Forty-five percent of respondents said they ended up outside their preferred neighborhood due to affordability—and those buyers were nearly twice as likely to be considering a move within five years. Financial stress extends well beyond the purchase itself: more than a third of respondents had delayed urgent home repairs due to cost, and 29% had skipped or deferred other basic needs to cover housing expenses. Black and lower-income homeowners face elevated foreclosure risk, and only 21% of all respondents have a will or legal arrangement in place to protect their home after death.

Following the presentation, moderator Courtney Brunson, Director of Economic Equity Initiatives at TBF, led a panel discussion with Jason Andrade of the Partnership for Financial Equity, Keith Fairey of Way Finders, and David Gasser of CHAPA. Panelists highlighted the importance of scaling down payment assistance and homebuyer education programs, increasing housing supply through zoning reform and state investment, expanding programs like Commonwealth Builder and the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, and connecting homeowners to estate planning resources to protect intergenerational wealth.