Boomers More Willing to Help Kids With Down Payments

Two-thirds of baby boomers say they want to help their children or grandchildren with a home down payment, according to a study of more than 1,000 baby boomers age 45 and up conducted by Meredith Research Solutions for Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate.

In fact, one in five boomers surveyed say they’ve already loaned their children money, cosigned a mortgage, or given a cash gift for a down payment on a home.

Even baby boomers not considered wealthy are willing to offer help on down payments. While baby boomers who make more than $75,000 a year were found to be the most willing to offer help, 46 percent of baby boomers who make less than $75,000 per year say they also plan to help their child with a future home purchase, according to the survey. Read more

Americans Less on the Move, Census Says

High unemployment and housing woes are forcing more Americans to stay put, new Census Bureau data shows. In fact, Americans are moving less than they ever have on record, since the Census Bureau started tracking such data in 1948.

In the last year, about 35.1 million of Americans — or 11.6 percent — moved to a new home, which is down from 12.5 percent in the previous year. The record for American mobility was 21.2 percent, reached in 1951. Read more

Demographic Shifts Shaping Future of the Housing Market

With the great recession driving unemployment, foreclosures and vacancy rates to historic highs, the housing market has certainly been on one wild ride the last few years.

Today, we see the confluence of a deep recession driving behavioral change and shifts in the demographic distribution of the population poised to impact the real estate market in unexpected ways. Americans who have experienced or witnessed the loss of jobs, homes and home values have grown skeptical about the benefits of homeownership. Not only will the financial impacts of the housing meltdown burden the real estate market for years to come but so too will the emotional impact. More than ever, Americans of all ages are considering their options.

Read more