Here ’ s one : Younger Americans still like the idea of owning a home . The 18 to 34 year-old demographic ( also known as Generation Y ) in a recent Fannie Mae survey said they believe buying a home has a lot of potential as an investment , despite their peers seeing the steepest decline in ownership during the housing decline .

In fact , this group , along with Hispanics and African- Americans were more positive about homeownership than any other Americans .

In the spirit of helping younger Americans bring their homeownership dreams to life , here are four pieces of advice for making it happen :

Start saving as early as you can . Banks have been more stringent with downpayment requirements and there are a number of initiatives in Congress right now that may end up increasing downpayment requirements even more .

Don ’ t wait too long . With interest rates low and supply levels high in many areas , now really is a great time to buy . However , many expect the loan process to get even harder and rates to increase this year so these conditions won ’ t last forever .

Think long-term . Real estate is for the long haul and much more difficult to unload than a stock portfolio . Figure out where you want to be in 5-10 years and then zero in on your real estate goals .

Find a Realtor you trust . Real estate is difficult – even for the most intelligent buyers out there . Having an agent you are comfortable working with is priceless when it comes to navigating the process and dealing with unexpected twists and turns .

It ’ s good to see that owning a home still holds prominence in the minds of young Americans . A lot of folks have speculated that this group would end up not valuing homeownership as much as their parents and grandparents because of the financial collapse , recession and rising cost of ownership compared to personal incomes .

I think it ’ s a sign that real estate is not and will never be dead .

By Gino Blefari , Intero Real Estate Services

By Marta Dinsmore , Realtor Intero Real Estate Services www . MartaDinsmore . com 408.840.7420

Marta is the recipient of top honors at the Intero Real Estate Services Annual Achievement Awards : Top Selling Agent and Top Producing Agent for 2010 — putting her in the top 3 % of all Intero Real Estate Services nationwide .

Local Trends Single Family Residential in Gilroy

SALES — Year of 2010 versus First Quarter 2011 ( January / February / March )