The Milwaukee Post

June 27, 2014 • Milwaukee County Post • 7 By Kirsten Klahn Special to The Post MILWAUKEE – The American dream of home ownership hasn't been lost on young people across the state. Wisconsin residents ages 18 to 34 are opti- mistic they'll be on their way to home owner- ship within five years, according to a BMO Harris Bank Housing Confidence Report released recently. The report says 73 percent of Wisconsin millennials – those in the 18 to 34 age group – plan to purchase a home within five years, while 44 percent of residents across all ages intend to buy a home during the same time frame. Confidence increases even more in Milwaukee, with 52 percent of residents plan- ning to purchase a home. Within the state, 14 percent of those with a five-year timeline will be first-time homebuy- ers, according to the report. Also, 15 percent of millennials say they're likely to buy a home in the next 12 months. "It's encouraging to see this level of confi- dence in the local housing market," said Lori Day, director of Wisconsin mortgage sales for BMO Harris Bank. "Moreover, the majority of young people are looking to make a purchase in the next few years – and in many cases it will be their first time." Nationally, 74 percent of millennials are planning to buy in the next five years, and 45 percent will buy in the next two years. The report also revealed that 70 percent of Wisconsin residents already own a home. Wisconsinites own more condos than the national average at 9 percent, compared to 5 percent nationally. Despite the promising statistics, the report also showed that some millennials are strug- gling with student loans. "While the housing market is on the upswing, the record level of student debt car- ried by young Americans does pose a chal- lenge to many in their 20s and 30s hoping to purchase their first home," said Michael Gregory, head of U.S. Economics, BMO Capital Markets. "Student debt levels have more than doubled in the last seven years to $1.1 trillion." The top three reasons Wisconsinites cited for renting rather than owning were financial instability at 60 percent, having to deal with less upkeep and maintenance at 37 percent, and difficulty finding affordable homes in desired neighborhoods at 23 percent. Dream of home ownership still alive in state 73 percent of millennials plan to buy a home within five years, report says Post Staff MILWAUKEE — It's summertime and as the temperature increases so do the chances for thunderstorm and lightning activity. Next week is Lightning Safety Awareness Week and the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety reminds people to take steps to prevent lightning-related damage to their homes and businesses. "Summer can be a carefree time of year, but it's also a time when more lightning strikes occur because of the increased num- ber of thunderstorms," said Julie Rochman, IBHS president and CEO. "A strike to an unprotected structure could be devastating, but there are things you can do to prevent a catastrophic event from happening." "To truly protect your home or business and its contents, consider investing in a certi- fied lightning protection system to reduce the risk of damage. Contact your local utility company to inquire about programs to pro- vide and install these systems; many compa- nies provide this service. If this is not avail- able in your area, consult a licensed electri- cian to install the system," Rochman said. Additional steps home and business own- ers can take to protect appliances and elec- tronic devices from power surges caused by lightning strikes include: ■ Plug electronic devices (laptops, DVD players, etc.) into a surge protection device, not a power strip. Both allow you to connect multiple electronics to a power source; how- ever, a power strip does not protect against a spike in electrical power. A surge protection device, however, protects devices from such spikes. Connect telephone, cable and/or satellite TV and network lines to a surge protection device. ■ Check the packaging labels to be sure the surge protection device has been tested to UL 1449. Look for a surge protection device with a clamping voltage rating (voltage at which the protector will conduct the electrici- ty to ground) between 330 v to 400 v. ■ Purchase a surge protection device with a joule rating of over 1,000. The joule rating typically ranges from 200 up to several thou- sand. Remember, the higher the number the better. "Lightning is one of those severe weather events that doesn't command as much atten- tion but causes an estimated $1 billion a year in property damage. We must acknowledge lightning's power and do what we can to pro- tect our structures and the valuable belong- ings inside them from the effects of a strike," Rochman said. 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