Demand Rising Among Older Home Buyers

Though there is usually a lot of focus on first-time and younger home buyers, they aren’t the only Americans looking to make a move. In fact, according to the National Association of Home Builders’ 55+ Housing Market Index, older Americans are increasingly interested in buying a home and it’s led to a strengthening in the market. Robert Dietz, NAHB’s chief economist, says growing demand among older buyers is consistent with what’s happening in the market overall. “The strong performance of the 55+ HMI at the end of 2017 is consistent with recent increases in boarder measures of the housing market,” Dietz said. “We expect continued growth in the market for new 55+ housing in 2018 due to favorable demographics, rising home owner wealth, and the current tight supply of existing homes on the market.” In other words, older homeowners have seen an increase in the value of their homes and are now looking to use those gains to find a new home or condo. This has pushed the NAHB’s index to record heights and indicates there will be a high level of interest in home buying among older Americans this year. More here.