Key Highlights
- New survey by Point2, real estate research site, indicates huge gap between Millennial dreams of homeownership and financial reality
- 74% Millennials want to own home but 88% haven’t enough savings to make average down payment
Even in the midst of our pandemic economy and an upended real estate market with historically fewer homes for sale and escalating, highly competitive home prices, homeownership continues to be seen as a crucial component of achieving the American Dream.
A recent survey by Point2, a real estate search site, indicates that 74% of Millennials (ages 25 to 40) want to buy a home within a year. Similarly, 88% of Millennials do NOT have enough money saved to make an average down payment.
Clearly, there is a huge discrepancy between the dreams of homeownership and the financial reality of homeownership. Some 40% of Millennials estimate needing $10,000 or less in order to make a down payment on a home. In fact, the only city in America where $10,000 would be enough for a standard 20% down payment on a median-priced home is Detroit. A standard down payment on a home is San Francisco is 20X that of Detroit or $218,000. (The nation-wide average down payment on a house is approximately $62,000.)
So, what do Millennials with growing families and increasing housing needs do to both become homeowners and make their American Dream come true? Save more than the historical 8% of their household income. (According to the US Commerce Department, average savings rate jumped to nearly 34% of household income in April but then dropped to about 14% by August.)
Here are Point2’s top and bottom cities of largest US cities ranked by median home price and how long it would take Millennials to save for that standard 20% down Payment:
Least Expensive Cities
Aver. HH Median 20% DP Years of
Income Home Price Saving @ 8%
Detroit
$30,238 $49,396 $9,879 4.1
Cleveland
$33,499 $74,040 $14,808 5.5
Toledo
$40,564 $86,362 $17,921 5.3
Buffalo
$39,513 $89,605 $17,921 5.7
Memphis
$39,883 $104,845 $20,969 6.6
Fort Wayne
$52,758 $119,545 $23,909 5.7
Pittsburgh
$61,164 $125,706 $25,141 5.1
Milwaukee
$45,481 $127,706 $25,509 7.0
Laredo
$47,457 $132,840 $26,568 7.0
El Paso
$51,508 $133,921 $26,784 6.5
Most Expensive Cities
San Francisco
$148,699 $1,091,146 $218,229 18.3
Fremont CA
$148,804 $933,662 $186,732 15.7
Irvine CA
$109,305 $861,567 $172,313 19.7
San Jose CA
$125,382 $857,244 $171,449 17.1
Arlington VA
$121,933 $723,539 $144,708 14.8
Oakland CA
$80,130 $678,575 $135,715 21.2
Seattle
$102,724 $654,147 $130,829 15.9
Los Angeles
$64,724 $648,202 $129,640 25.0
New York
$76,877 $616,641 $123,328 20.1
San Diego
$83,174 $615,127 $123,025 18.5
Thanks to Point2.
Also read: National Rent Index Down -0.3% Since Pandemic Beginnings, Median Home Prices Up in 96% of Metros in Q2 2020, Mortgage Delinquencies Expected To Be Above “Normal” Until 2022
