The Southeast Minnesota Association of REALTORS recently released the results of a survey conducted to determine what people in Rochester thought of their community.

“The survey results were clear: Residents like where they live, enjoy the quality of life in Rochester and believe growth is happening at about the right pace,” said Kisti Skaar, SEMAR president.

A few of the survey findings included that 90 percent of participants rated the quality of life today at an excellent or good ranking with 10 percent ranking the quality of life at poor or fair.

As far as the future quality of life, 43 percent felt it was getting better, 40 percent felt it would stay the same, and 14 percent felt it would get worse.

Participants were also asked to rank growth of their community as well. The majority, or 65 percent, felt growth was just right,20 percent felt it was too fast; and 13 percent felt it was too slow.

When asked about housing options, 54 percent felt there were enough housing options while 43 percent did not.

The survey showed residents want homes in high quality public school districts. They also value sidewalks over bike lanes and hiking trails. One area of weakness identified by the survey was in the amount of housing options. Those who currently rent in particular believe there are not enough apartments, townhomes or single family options.

Currently, Rochester’s inventory of homes on the market at all levels is weak. While this means it is a good time to sell a home, it makes it tougher to buy a home.