From having youngsters to beginning a brand new profession, greater than half of People are placing main milestones on maintain till they get their first dwelling.
It’s no shock that rising dwelling costs and declining affordability are altering the way in which individuals reside.
A brand new report from Coldwell Banker make clear precisely how large of an affect the difficult 2025 housing market had on each facet of American life.
A whopping 71% of would-be householders are delaying large milestones like marriage, infants and profession adjustments — all within the hopes of saving for that first downpayment. The gloomy outlook was documented in Coldwell Banker’s “2025 American Dream Report,” which surveyed greater than 3,000 adults, practically 900 of whom are aspiring householders.
Of these delaying life’s large moments, 18% reported delaying marriage and having youngsters, and 17% stated they delay altering jobs or careers.
Gen Z respondents proved further pessimistic, with 84% planning to place off these rites of passage — even pet possession — till they’ve their first set of keys in hand.
Nonetheless lofty the aim of homeownership turns into, loads of People are nonetheless striving for it.
The report discovered that 56% of these surveyed nonetheless imagine that proudly owning a house of 1’s personal defines the American dream.
The best outranked having a household, retiring by 67 or beginning a profession. That is regardless of greater than half of respondents reporting that they don’t count on to realize that dream till they’re no less than 40 years previous.
The outcomes of the “2025 American Dream Report,” recommend {that a} frequently tight housing market might alter the tempo of American life. Jason’s Waugh, the president Coldwell Banker Associates, advised The Submit that he does see sources of optimism within the report.
“The information means that the pursuit of homeownership is just not diminishing, it’s evolving right into a extra intentional, knowledgeable, and financially aligned technique,” Waugh stated.
Waugh stated he expects housing market traits in 2026 to lean in direction of pragmatism, together with smaller dwelling footprints, properties requiring modest renovations, and properties with revenue producing potential.
Proudly owning actual property remains to be extensively thought of among the best investments an individual could make — 65% of People stated they imagine homeownership remains to be a greater long-term monetary alternative than renting, in line with the report.
Persistently excessive mortgage charges and file dwelling costs, paired with restricted housing provide in in-demand markets, have challenged US homebuyers for years now, however market shifts in patrons’s favor might be on the horizon.
Waugh identified {that a} majority of respondents within the report confirmed willingness to make sensible concessions to afford a house — corresponding to broadening their search areas — and expressed the intent to buy a house inside the subsequent 5 years.
“When this sentiment is coupled with easing rates of interest and a deceleration in dwelling value appreciation, we start to see circumstances which might be more and more favorable for first-time patrons.”
