Silver Tsunami vs. Millennials in Real Estate

Silver Tsunami

Are you ready for the Silver Tsunami?  Wikipedia describes it as a metaphor used to describe population aging. The silver tsunami metaphor has been used in popular media and in scholarly literature to refer to the late-twentieth century demographic phenomenon of population aging in major media platforms including The Economist, Forbes.com, and multiple news outlets.

Millennial

In real estate, we see that the millennials are the demographic group that is trending now for home purchases, but millions of baby boomers aka Silver Tsunami could seek to downsize in the coming years as they approach their 60s and 70s. It is expected that by the year 2050, the seniors 65 and older will make up nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population compared to the 15 percent today.  Not only will the demand for senior living increase, but the style and manner will as well. With the large increase in this demographic market, you can expect to see senior living communities popping up everywhere, especially in Florida. These types of communities are expected to rise in in both rural and urban settings alike.

Today’s baby boomers, now the Silver Tsunami to come, look at life a little differently in regards to aging. They expect accessibility and convenience with personalized care and amenities.  These future seniors reflect a change in the way our older generation currently resides. They are active, empowering, and believe that senior living should not be institutional.

Then we have the seniors of today that were born between 1931 and 1947, who are staying in their homes longer and aging in place, the result being higher homeownership rates than the previous group of seniors.  It is estimated that 1.6 million existing homes were held off the market in 2018 due to the aging in place occurring. The trend of these seniors aging in place is only expected to grow as the number of seniors increase with the impending Silver Tsunami. To put this in perspective, the 1.6 million existing homes that are being held off the market due to aging in place, the Urban Institute estimates that 3.4 million millennials are missing out on homeownership.

Sam Khater, Chief Economist at Freddie Mac, stated in Freddie Mac’s February Insight  “We believe the additional demand for homeownership from seniors aging in place will increase the relative price of owning versus renting, making renting more attractive to younger generations.” “This further highlights the importance of addressing barriers to the production of new housing supply to help accommodate long-term housing demand,” he added.

https://www.leisurecare.com/resources/silver-tsunami-senior-living/

https://dsnews.com/daily-dose/02-06-2019/how-aging-in-place-is-restricting-first-time-homebuyers

https://freddiemac.gcs-web.com/news-releases/news-release-details/freddie-mac-insight-seniors-who-are-aging-place-hold-16-million?_ga=2.143892016.483936937.1549379288-957113108.1544712385

Millennials Looking for a Place to call Home

Make way for millennials! According to the Dave Ramsey website, in 2019 millennials will lead the way in number of mortgages, accounting for 45% of the market. As the millennial generation reaches adulthood, they are moving into the housing market looking for a place to call home. However, it is not in the (credit nor debit) cards for most to be living in the city like modern TV drama would have you think. Because of historically high student debt, recession, rising real estate costs, and a challenging and stratified job market, ‘frugal’ is the word to live by. So, most millennials are looking into moving into single family suburban homes on the outskirts of
18-hour-cities.

In their quest to save money in their new homes, millennials are keeping an eye out for space with a multiplicity of use and amenities built for efficiency. No longer is it the size that matters, but how it is used. While they desire the life of suburbia, they also want to integrate some elements of urban life such as walk-ability to shopping & dining and open options for transit. Many attribute this millennial propensity toward convenience to the modern technological era: everything is now available at the click of a screen.

Regardless of the why, there is a huge disconnect between the houses which millennials want and the houses which realtors are selling. Part of the issue could be the disconnect in age. According to National Association of Realtors the average age of a realtor today is 57, and home-builders are building homes with Baby boomers and Gen X in mind. Generations before wanted mansions, but a millennials only desire is a comfortable and adaptable kind of space. Pardee Homes interior designer , Bobby Berk, summarizes the shift for millennials : “ I think we grew up around an older generation of excess, and saw what it did to everyone and the economy. It made us more of a less is more generation.”

It’s safe to say that as this new generation grows up, it’s in real estates best interest to grow with it.

https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/real-estate-trends

https://www.curbed.com/2018/10/10/17959984/real-estate-trends-2019-housing-affordability-inv estment

https://www.curbed.com/2016/6/21/11956516/millennial-first-time-home-trends-suburbs

What Millennials Want When Purchasing a Home

Millennials are quickly becoming the largest segment of homebuyers.  It’s vital for homesellers and their real estate agents to know their design preferences when purchasing a home. Thanks to the 2017 Taylor Morris Consumer Survey, the infograph below shows what recent and prospective millennial homebuyers are into.

The Pros and Cons of The Tiny House Fad

Written By Ashley L. Hobson, Esq.

One of the most recent movements in real estate is the concept of the “tiny home”. We’ve had many Realtor friends ask about how to consult their clients when it comes to buying the perfect home.  There is a lot to be said about changing your lifestyle to fit a new environment- it shouldn’t be a decision made lightly. It is important to consider certain issues before jumping into the tiny house movement. Below we take a look at some of the Pros and Cons of the tiny house fad.

Ownership and Investing in your Future

Home ownership can be both rewarding and draining. In today’s market, millennials are projected to be the next big target for home buying. Having equity in your home is one of the best ways to invest in your future. Additionally, the tax benefits of owning a home are beneficial as well. On the other hand, while renting might be an appealing option- it doesn’t have monetary return.  In a time where the market is finally becoming more stable, the opportunity to own a home is becoming a more attainable goal.

Resale Issues

While owning your own home is surely an investment, you will reap the benefits of this investment when it comes time to sell. Where Tiny Home are proving to differ from standard residences is in resale value. According to an article in Forbes Magazine entitled “5 Reasons Buying a Tiny House Is a Mistake”, tiny homes are actually less marketable. There is a small concentration of individuals that a tiny home would actually work for. It seems that you would be hard pressed to find a buyer who didn’t want to entertain house guests at some point. The pool of individuals truly interested in tiny homes shrinks even smaller due to lending institution restrictions. In the same Forbes Magazine article, the author notes that lenders often have square footage requirements that must be met. This means that buyers have to be ready to pay with cash. It might be easy to make an “in the moment” decision, but you really should consider the long term value of your investment.

The Appeal

Since millennials are a large target for home buying- it is likely many may consider “going tiny”. In a time where we can’t go five minutes without checking our texts, or social media and email accounts- the thought of cutting out clutter and living cleaner can be appealing. The idea of being mobile and picking up and moving whenever you want might appeal to those who love to travel. For those who don’t want to be tied down to one location forever, but still want to invest in real estate- this concept may work for you. Making the “tiny home” purchase has taken the hassle of shopping for a home away- it’s now as easy as clicking a button on Amazon. Student loans do not make the idea of owning a home appealing to many millennials; debt often gets in the way of getting loan approval.  The tiny home movement does have its appeal when it comes to targeting the millennial crowd.

Space- is it really feasible?

While living simply might appeal to you in theory- it might not actually work in practice. Can you really part with 75% of your possessions? If you have a bike, cooking equipment, or shoe collection- this could prove to be difficult. Individuals interested in tiny homes should really consider what they can truly part with before going through with the purchase. If there are big items you can’t part with- will they fit in your tiny home? If you cannot answer this for certain, maybe hold off on the purchase.