Americans continued to be more optimistic than pessimistic about the housing market in the second quarter of the year, according to a survey by the National Association of Realtors. However, the organization says there is also a notable divide in opinions between buyers and renters, as well as more unease about committing to a mortgage among young adults.

The National Association of Realtors recently published the results of its Housing Opportunities and Market Experience survey for the second quarter of 2016. This survey, which included responses from 2,714 households, asked questions on subjects such as housing expectations, the U.S. economy, and factors affecting their desire or ability to get a mortgage.

Seventy-four percent of respondents said they considered it a good time to buy a home, with 42 percent saying they strongly agree with this sentiment. Eighty percent of current homeowners said they thought it was a good time to buy.

Households that were younger, renting, or earning lower incomes were less likely to think it is a good time to buy a home, although a majority still held this opinion. Sixty-six percent of those making less than $50,000 a year, 65 percent of those ages 34 and under, and 62 percent of renters considered it a good time to buy a home.

"Existing home prices surpassed their all-time peak this spring and have climbed on average over 5 percent nationally through the first five months of the year, and even faster in the areas with severe supply shortages," said Lawrence Yun, chief economist at the National Association of Realtors. "Most homeowners appear to realize that if they're ready to sell, they'll likely find a buyer rather quickly and be able to use the sizeable equity they've accumulated in recent years toward their next home purchase. Meanwhile, renters interested in buying continue to face minimal choices, strong competition, and home prices growing faster than their incomes."

Sixty-one percent of respondents said they think it is a good time to sell a home, up from 56 percent in the first quarter of the year. Homeowners in the West were most likely to have a favorable opinion of the sales market, with 71 percent considering it a good time to sell a home. Fifty-six percent of respondents in the Northeast and 60 percent of those in the Midwest and South held the same opinion.

Young, renting, or lower income households were again more pessimistic. Forty-nine percent of those earning less than $50,000, 47 percent of those ages 34 and under, and 44 percent of renters said they don't think it is a good time to sell a home.

Fifty-three percent said they believe home prices in their community have increased in the past year, while 36 percent believed they have stayed the same and 11 percent thought they have gone down. Forty-eight percent expected home prices to be stable in the next six months, with 45 percent expecting them to increase and 8 percent expecting them to decrease.

The survey asked respondents who do not currently own a home how difficult they thought it would be to qualify for a mortgage. A total of 60 percent thought it would be very difficult or somewhat difficult, with only 16 percent believing that it would not be difficult at all.

Those between the ages of 45 and 54 were most likely to believe it would be hard to get a mortgage, with 65 percent expecting that it would be very difficult or somewhat difficult. Sixty percent of those under the age of 34 had the same opinion, with 12 percent saying that did not think it would be difficult at all to qualify for a mortgage.

Respondents with lower incomes were most likely to expect difficulties in qualifying for a mortgage. A total of 70 percent of households making $50,000 or less a year said they thought it would be very difficult or somewhat difficult to get a mortgage. Forty-six percent of those making $50,000 to $100,000 and 37 percent of those making over $100,000 also thought it would be difficult for them to qualify for a mortgage.

People had mixed opinions on the comfort of getting a mortgage. Wealthier respondents were most comfortable with taking on this debt, with 71 percent saying they were very comfortable or somewhat comfortable doing so. The share fell to 57 percent among households making $50,000 to $100,000 and 41 percent among those making less than $50,000.

Respondents who did not own a home were more likely to be reticent about getting a mortgage. Sixty-three percent of those living with someone and 57 percent or renters said they would be not very comfortable or not at all comfortable with getting a mortgage, compared to just 29 percent of owners who held this opinion.

Those approaching retirement age were least comfortable with the idea of taking on mortgage debt, with only 39 percent of the 55-64 age group saying they would be very comfortable or somewhat comfortable with doing so. The 35-44 age group was most likely to be comfortable with this debt, with 66 percent saying they would be very comfortable or somewhat comfortable taking out a home loan.

Younger respondents and those that did not own a home were more likely to have student loan debt. Forty-seven percent of those under the age of 34 said they are working to pay off student loans, as well as 37 percent of renters and 43 percent who live with someone else. Only 14 percent of homeowners in the survey said they have student loan debt.

Most respondents with student loan debt were confident in their ability to qualify for a mortgage. Fifty-eight percent of those earning less than $50,000, 74 percent of those earning $50,000 to $100,000, and 83 percent of those earning over $100,000 considered it very likely or somewhat likely that they would be able to qualify for a mortgage.

However, respondents with student loans were also less likely to be comfortable with taking on a mortgage debt, especially if they were in a lower income tier. Fifty-nine percent of respondents with student debt who were earning less than $50,000 said they would be not very comfortable or not at all comfortable with getting a mortgage. This share fell to 44 percent among those earning $50,000 to $100,000 and 29 percent among those earning more than $100,000.

Yun said the results seem to confirm that student loans are contributing to the decision of many potential buyers to delay getting a mortgage. In a National Association of Realtors study released in June, 71 percent of non-homeowners said student debt has caused them to delay the purchase of a home. This was particularly evident among younger people, with 79 percent of older Millennials and 67 percent of younger Millennials saying their student loans had impacted their ability to buy a home.

"At a time of quickly rising rents, mortgage rates at all-time lows, and increasing housing wealth, a lot of young adults in their prime buying years are struggling to enter the market and are ultimately missing out on the stability and wealth accumulation that owning a home can provide," said Yun.

Respondents were evenly split on their opinions about the national economy. Forty-nine percent said they think the economy is improving, while 51 percent said they think the economy is not improving.

Younger respondents were most optimistic about the economy, with 56 percent saying they think it is improving. This share grew progressively lower among older respondents, with only 41 percent of those over the age of 65 saying they think the economy is improving.

Rural residents were least likely to have a positive opinion about the economy, with 64 percent saying they do not think it is improving. Forty-nine percent of suburban respondents and 42 percent of urban respondents had the same opinion.

Non-homeowners were more likely to be optimistic about the U.S. economy. Fifty-eight percent of renters and 54 percent of those living with someone said they think the economy is improving, compared to just 44 percent of homeowners.