Unlike in other countries, homeownership in the United States has always been very attainable. The playbook traditionally went like this: you graduate from school, rent for a few years and then buy your first starter home. Most people were out of the rental rat race by thirty-five years of age.
However, now the United States is moving towards a renter nation. Homes are now unaffordable to most people in their thirties, and many young people have given up on the prospect of being able to purchase a home. Instead of buying a home, many successful young people are moving into luxury rental units that are much nicer than a home they could afford.
Forever renting is being glamorized by the younger generation. They look at the lack of responsibility and the ability to move around as they please as the benefits of renting. However, this is a young person’s game. Most of them will want to settle down and raise a family, and homeownership and a set monthly mortgage payment provide the stability later on in life that most of them will desire.
What the younger generation needs to understand is the incredible upside to owning a property. To start, in the United States, banks offer a thirty-year fixed loan that doesn’t move with inflation. Rents/mortgages are about thirty to forty percent of someone’s monthly expenses on average. Imagine if this cost is fixed for thirty years. It would mean that as you move up through life and your salary increases, that large cost of shelter will remain the same. If you are a renter, your rent will continue to slowly climb year over year.
In the United States, owning property is the main staple of building wealth. For most older Americans, their net worth is primarily the value of their home. It is based on them paying down their mortgage over thirty years and the home appreciating over time. If the younger generation doesn’t have that, they will have a harder time building wealth and being able to comfortably retire.
How Gen Z Can Afford a Home
As stated above, traditional homeownership is out of reach for most of the younger generation. The average cost of a starter home is over $400,000. That is why the successful kids of Generation Z are getting creative. Below are ideas I have seen from this generation on how they are obtaining homes.
1. House Hacking
This generation is all about affordability and house hacking provides this. House hacking involves purchasing a property and living in one of the rooms while renting out the others. The rent collected from the other rooms can offset the mortgage payment, making the property more financially manageable.
2. Rent to Own
In a rent-to-own arrangement, you can rent the property for a specified period with the option to buy it later. A portion of your monthly rent goes towards the home’s purchase price. This allows you to save for a down payment over time. It is beneficial to the landlord as they are slowly getting paid on the property year over year vs. one lump sum which would be more heavily taxed.
Conclusion
While most of Generation Z is focused on living in the moment, those who want to set themselves up for success will own a home. Creative strategies like rent-to-own and house hacking can make homeownership more attainable at a younger age. The new narrative of “you will own nothing and be happy” is a lie, and this generation needs to open their eyes and understand that home ownership is the anchor of the American Dream.