In 2023, Urban Institute researchers mapped out high-priority research questions to inform strategies to expand homeownership among Latino households. Now, as the outlook for Latino homeownership evolves in a shifting housing market and economic and policy environment, we update this research agenda with new learnings from the past two years.

Why This Matters

In 2023, 51 percent of Latino households owned their homes, a significant increase from 45 percent a decade prior. The data show Latino households are poised to drive US household and homeownership growth, but housing market forces, macroeconomic trends, and policy decisions must align. Continued research is key to informing effective solutions that ensure homeownership is possible for all families financially ready to sustain a mortgage.

Key Takeaways

This update to our 2023 research agenda highlights new findings and offers a guide for future research along several key dimensions:

• Historical context: What are the historical origins of Latino-white wealth and homeownership disparities, and how can this history inform solutions to support economic opportunity?
• Macro-level and intersectional conditions: How do factors such as national origin, immigration status, market location, and employment affect homeownership prospects for Latino households?
• Mortgage underwriting: How well does the current mortgage underwriting system predict mortgage default, and how could criteria be adjusted to safely expand access to credit?
• Homeownership innovations: How can new technologies, mortgage products, and housing models create new homeownership opportunities for Latino households?
• Housing supply: What are the barriers to creating more entry-level homes for first-time homebuyers, and what zoning and financing solutions can help overcome them?
• Climate resilience: How are escalating insurance costs affecting Latino households’ abilities to enter and sustain homeownership?

Sustaining homeownership: How do foreclosures, home repair needs, and tangled titles threaten intergenerational wealth building for Latino households, and what programs can be scaled to address them?

How We Did it

The original research agenda was the basis for Urban Institute research and for a call for papers issued by UnidosUS to catalyze new insights on Latino homeownership. This update incorporates insights from these papers, a January 2025 culminating conference, and other new research conducted since 2023.