Millennials have become more positive when it comes to taking the plunge into home ownership and are primed to gain market share in the second half of the year, according to the results of realtor.com’s consumer behavior survey of more than 12,000 respondents conducted from January to June of this year.
Jonathan Smoke, chief economist for realtor.com, revealed an in-depth analysis of these survey findings during a panel discussion at the National Association of Real Estate Editors conference in Miami. ?”Despite the slow indicators we saw earlier this year, 2015 is on pace to be one of the best years for housing since 2006 due to strong sales and higher than predicted home prices.” said Smoke. “Additionally, we are observing an uptick in millennial traffic and sentiment that we expect will result in more first-time buyer sales in the later part of the year.” ?Smoke went on to explain that first time home buyers are especially critical when it comes to the health of the market. ?”Historically, they are the largest demographic of home buyers and can have a dramatic impact on housing,” he said.
Since the beginning of the year, realtor.com has observed a slight increase in older millennials – between the ages of 25 and 34 years old – visiting its website and mobile applications with the goal of buying a home. ?In the first half of June, realtor.com saw its share of traffic represented by older millennials looking for a home to purchase increase to 23%, as compared to 21% in January. ?In mid-June, it also observed its share of those looking for property to rent decrease to 20%, from 26% in January.