Regardless of the sharp five-year decline in housing prices, people are confident in the investment value of home ownership. Eight in 10 Americans still believe that a home will appreciate in value, according to a survey of more than 2,000 people across the country, conducted by the Pew Research Center.

Seemingly at odds with these findings, almost half of the homeowners surveyed reported that their home is now worth less than before the start of the recession. Of that group, the majority believes that it will take at least three years for values to recover. Nearly half said it would take six or more years to recover.

It is interesting, however, that 23 percent of homeowners surveyed said that if they could do it all over again, they would not buy their current home. Reasons for this "buyer remorse" included complaints about the home itself and its location—not just financial factors. And perhaps it comes as no surprise that only 30 percent of people who rent strongly agreed that owning a home is the best possible long-term investment.

Eighty percent of the people surveyed said homeownership and a comfortable retirement were their top long-term financial goals. Almost three fourths said the same about being able to pay for their kid's college education, and just over half said the same about leaving an inheritance.

The Pew Research Center also found that a plurality of adults said their household’s financial situation is worse now than it was before the recession.

Home sweet home. Still. [Pew Research Center]