According to an article over at CNBC.com, how you feel about the real estate market has a whole lot to do with whether you presently own a house.

If you are currently a homeowner, you’re feeling rather chipper about the state of things right now.

However, if you’re still a renter, data suggests you’re not nearly as enthusiastic.

In spite of the fact that interest rates are still hovering around all-time lows, the employment picture continues to look ever-rosier, and rents continue to climb, a survey from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reveals that barely half of renters – 52 percent, to be exact – say it’s a good time to buy.

What’s more, that figure is down from where it was a year ago; at that time, 62 percent of renters said the time was right to make a home purchase.

The culprit is the steady rise in home values throughout the country. Even though renters continue to see increases in what they’re paying each month, the purchase prices of homes are making the option to buy increasingly prohibitive.

“Paying more in rent each year and seeing home prices outpace their incomes is discouraging, and it’s unfortunately pushing homeownership further away – especially for those living in expensive metro areas on the East and West Coast," said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the NAR.

Unsurprisingly, however, those who already own homes have a very robust view of the market at this time. 80 percent of current homeowners polled by the NAR say it’s a good time to buy, and that number is unchanged from a year ago.

By Robert G. Yetman, Jr. Editor At Large