American dreams of home ownership still alive

According to a recently released survey by Better Homes and Gardens, the American dream to own a home is still alive among potential homeowners.

The survey provided insight into the ideas, inspirations and strategies that are driving consumers as they consider the style and efficiency of their homes.

"Our homes are the physical expression of ourselves and lives," said Jill Waage, the magazine's editorial director for home content. "In addition to spending more time planning and hunting for the right elements for living spaces, consumers are also turning to social media platforms like Pinterest to gather and share design inspirations, smart products, creative ideas and space-wise solutions."

Key findings revealed that owning a home is still important to eight out of 10 respondents and that consumers are more likely to take time to plan for home improvement projects.

The study also found that consumers find it more important than ever to get the most our of every dollar and will spend more time looking for bargains and deals to get the most value out of their money.

With fixed-rate mortgages showing record lows in the country, consumers are now packing up to take advantage of the low rates and a possible affordable relocation cost that comes with the low mortgages.