Study Finds Seniors Could Be Stuck with Unsellable Homes in the Future

A new paper predicts that home-buying trends among younger generations will lead to a flood of homes that older homeowners will not be able to sell.

1 minute read

August 25, 2020, 9:00 AM PDT

By Camille Fink


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New housing research suggests that senior homeowners in the future will have trouble selling their homes, the result of a mismatch between the number of available homes and the millennial and Generation Z buyers able to afford them.

"The study predicts that the change in home-buying behaviors by younger generations may result in a glut of homes that could grow as high as 15 million by 2040, with homeowners selling for far below what they paid – if they can sell them at all. Most seniors will be able to sell their homes, the study says, but it may become especially difficult in smaller, distant and slow- or non-growing markets," writes Kyle Mittan.

The problem will be especially acute in rural and suburban areas where growth and development are slower. Possible policy solutions include a federal buyback program and programs that match younger people with seniors in homes for house-sharing arrangements.

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