Millennial Buyers Feel the Brunt of Rate and Price Hikes

Debt and smaller down payments leave millennials vulnerable to an already challenging market

SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 4, 2018 -- As interest rates and home prices continue to rise, millennial home buyers are more likely than older buyers to adjust what they are shopping for, according to a new survey released today from realtor.com®, a leading online real estate destination. Two factors contributing to this market sensitivity are millennials' likelihood to carry more student loan and other debt and put less down than other buyers.

According to the online survey of more than 1,000 active buyers conducted in March by Toluna Research, 79 percent and 83 percent of respondents of all ages, respectively, said rising interest rates and home prices will impact their home search. That rises to 92 and 93 percent for buyers ages 18 to 34 years old. Only 17 percent and 21 percent of all buyers indicated prices and rates would have no impact.

"Existing debt and lower down payments leave younger shoppers more exposed than others to the impact of rising mortgage rates and record-high home prices," said Danielle Hale, chief economist for realtor.com®. "These obstacles won't prevent millennials from finding and buying homes, but most will have to adapt to these challenging market conditions by adjusting their home search."

Rising prices and interest rates impact the majority of buyers

When asked how their search would be impacted by rising prices, 41 percent indicated they have to buy a smaller home, 35 percent need to look for a less expensive home, 34 percent have to look in a different neighborhood, 33 percent need to put down a larger down payment, and 31 percent have to increase their monthly mortgage budget.

Survey data also shows rising rates have a greater impact on millennials than on buyers 55 years or older. As a result of rising rates, 37 percent of millennials said that they have to look for a less expensive home, compared to 24 percent of buyers 55 and older. Thirty-five percent of millennials have to look in a different neighborhood, compared to 18 percent of those 55+. Thirty-three percent of millennials have to look for a smaller home, compared to 23 percent of boomers.

Millennial buyers carry more debt than others

Millennial buyers are also more likely to report carrying each of the seven categories of debt realtor.com® inquired about – often by a significant margin. Of those between the ages of 18 and 34 years old, 78 percent have credit card debt, 68 percent have a car loan, 62 percent have a personal loan, 62 percent have mortgage debt, 57 percent have home equity loans, and 61 percent have student loans.

This is notably higher than 35-54 years old who reported: 72 percent credit card debt, 59 percent car loan, 55 percent have a personal loan, 60 percent mortgage debt, 49 percent home equity loan, and 49 percent student loans. Or those 55+ who indicated: 45 percent credit card debt, 30 percent car loan, 12 percent personal loan, 32 percent mortgage debt, 11 percent home equity loans and 9 percent student loans.

Millennials put the least amount down

When all respondents were asked how much cash they are planning to put down on their purchase, 32 percent indicated they are putting down less than 10 percent of their purchase price. Seventeen percent said 16 to 20 percent of the price and 15 percent indicated 11 to 15 percent of the purchase price.

A down payment of less than 10 percent was most common for the millennial generation with 37 percent of buyers aged 18-34 reporting this. They were followed by 34 percent of 35-54 year-olds and 20 percent of those 55 years or older. Millennials were also the least likely to put more than 20 percent of their purchase price down with roughly one in four among 18 to 34 year-olds putting more than 20 percent down, followed by one in three among 35 to 54 year-olds, and one in two among 55+ buyers.

Full results are available here.

Realtor.com® also recently surveyed house hunters about what they are looking for in a home.

It also surveyed buyers about the hotly competitive spring buying season.

About realtor.com®

Realtor.com® is the trusted resource for home buyers, sellers and dreamers, offering the most comprehensive source of for-sale properties, among competing national sites, and the information, tools and professional expertise to help people move confidently through every step of their home journey. It pioneered the world of digital real estate 20 years ago, and today helps make all things home simple, efficient and enjoyable. Realtor.com® is operated by News Corp [NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc. under a perpetual license from the National Association of REALTORS®. For more information, visit realtor.com®.