Lee Morof's Real Estate Blog

The current housing demand is unparalleled and because of this demand, home prices are skyrocketing. Nonetheless, people continue to shop for homes. Low interest rates and high demand combined with supply chain issues are stunting the homebuilding industry, creating a perfect storm for an unprecedented housing market. In addition, there are many millennials who are looking for homes right now as well. Why is this the case?

Interest Rates Are At Record Lows

One of the biggest reasons why so many younger people are looking to buy a home is that low-interest rates make them more affordable. As a result, people are able to stretch their dollars farther. There is no question that buyers want to take advantage of low-interest rates; however, this is also driving up the price tag of homes. What some home buyers might save in interest they could have to pay extra in principle.

Young Homebuyers Want To Grow Their Wealth Through Homeownership

Owning a home is an investment, and young buyers see it that way as well. Right now, millennials and gen Z adults are looking to purchase homes for the first time. During the next year, these numbers are only going to increase. A lot of young adults realize that they may never see a market like this again; however, the lack of supply in the housing market continues to remain a challenge.

Inventory Is Historically Low

Now is a smart time to buy a home for everyone, including young adults; however, the challenge is finding one. There are many buyers who are looking to purchase homes right now and there are not that many houses for sale. Therefore, some buyers might eventually give up and wait for the market to cool down; however, it might require a spike in interest rates to make that happen. This is leaving many homebuyers confused about what to do next. That is why it is important to work with an experienced real estate professional.

Help Is Available

Buying a home is a major decision and it is important to get this right. That is why it is a smart idea to work with an experienced real estate professional who can help buyers make the right decisions.

Although the majority of the Generation Z population make $25,000 or less per year, they really have embraced the American Dream of home ownership. According to a recent survey by Zillow, 97 percent of Gen Z renters asked were confident they will be homeowners in the future, whereas only 55 percent of Millennials were

82 percent of Gen Zers who were renting identified home ownership as the most important component of the American Dream — more than Millennials, even though that group is presently the largest segment of homebuyers, according to data from the National Association of Realtors.

So Who Exactly Are Generation Z?

While precise definitions vary, Generation Z are generally known as people born from the late 1990s to early 2000, and they are just beginning to come of age in the housing market. Many currently are renters, but they do not appear content to stay renting for long.  

That could be due to seeing rental prices skyrocketing across the country, or less than ideal rental situations may be a factor — nearly half are living in spaces less than 1,000 square feet, and 82 percent of those Gen Zers share rent with another person, according to MarketWatch.

This Generation Is Bigger Than The Millennials

The Generation Z crowd outnumbers their older Millennial peers by about one million, positioning them to be a force driving the home buying and building market soon. While they are experiencing one of the most competitive housing markets in recent history, that doesn’t seem to phase Gen Zers.

More than 77 percent say they would forgo business ownership in favor of home ownership, and more than 50 percent would be willing to give up social media networking for a year to obtain their dream home, according to a recent Time Magazine survey.

Three in five teens have already begun saving toward their dream home, so while most Gen Zers hope to be homeowners by the age of 28, (three years lower than the national average) they are getting a good start toward meeting that goal. Due to their savvy tech skills and inherent digital nature, Gen Zers are poised to buy homes more efficiently and faster than previous generations of renters.

When navigating the rental market, 33 percent of Gen Z renters are able to find new accommodations in a month or less, probably because they submit more applications per search, at approximately 3.1 applications per property search versus 2.4 for Gen Xers and 2.2 for Baby Boomers, according to a recent Zillow report.