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ALBANY, GA. -- In spite of the downturn in the housing market, the rate of homeownership is on the rise.

Information from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that American homeownership rose over the last few months.

Becky Brown with 'Brown & Brown Real Estate Group Inc. says southwest Georgians are using the economy to their advantage.

“A lot of people were waiting to see when it was finally going to hit bottom. I think we're not there yet but we're close,” says Becky Brown, “So the people are taking advantage of the low interest rates, plus the fact that there are still a lot of foreclosure properties.”

Analysts say they're expecting homeownership to fall again this year.