Redfin Survey: 36% of Millennial Homebuyers Took a Second Job to Save for Down Payment; 10% Sold Cryptocurrency

SEATTLE, June 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- (NASDAQ: RDFN) -- The top concern among first-time millennial homebuyers is having enough money for a down payment, according to Redfin (www.redfin.com), the next-generation real estate brokerage.

In March, Redfin commissioned a survey of 2,000 U.S. residents who planned to buy or sell a primary residence in the next 12 months. Redfin's latest analysis focuses on the more than 500 respondents between the agents of 24 and 38 who said they planned to buy their first home in the coming year.

Fifty percent cited having enough money for a down payment as their top concern about buying a home, followed by affording a home in their preferred location (45%) and rising home prices (41%).

Aside from the 69 percent who saved directly from paychecks, millennials used several tactics and sources to accumulate the money needed for a down payment on their first home. Thirty-six percent used earnings from a second job, 13 percent pulled money out of retirement funds early and 10 percent sold cryptocurrency. Some were lucky enough to have received a cash gift from their family (24%) or an inheritance (12%).

When broken down by household income levels, there were some notable differences in how millennials achieved a down payment. Millennials in households earning more than $100,000 per year were less likely than those earning less to have saved directly from paychecks, with 60 percent of high-earners having done so, compared with 75 percent of those who earn less than $100,000. Millennial households earning more than $100,000 were more than three times more likely than their less-well-off peers to have sold cryptocurrency investments and twice as likely to have sold stock investments. They were also more likely to have received an inheritance or cash gift from family or to have dipped into their retirement savings.

"For millennials who have launched their careers while working to pay off student loans in the last decade, having enough to set aside toward a down payment would have been a significant accomplishment," said Sheharyar Bokhari, senior economist at Redfin. "These results reveal some of the inequalities that have been exacerbated in the years following the recession, with the well-off having more flexibility and thereby ability to become homeowners and build more wealth, through advantages like financial support from family and the opportunity to invest in the stock market."

To afford a mortgage, 65 percent of millennials who intend to buy their first home this year plan to take some action, aside from just paying from their regular paychecks:

• 32% plan to pursue additional employment
• 19% intend to rent out a room to someone they know
• 15% say they will drive for a ride-sharing service
• 14% plan to split ownership of the home with friends or roommates

Again, there were some surprises in the responses when broken down by income. Lower-income millennials were more likely than those earning more than $100,000 per year to say they planned to pursue additional employment to cover their mortgage. Those with higher incomes were more than three times as likely to get a roommate they don't know. High-earners were also more likely to say they will split ownership with friends or drive for a ride-sharing service.

To read the full report, complete with charts showing more data breakdowns, please visit: https://www.redfin.com/blog/2018/06/redfin-survey-36-of-millennial-homebuyers-took-a-second-job-to-save-for-down-payment-10-sold-cryptocurrency.html.

About Redfin
Redfin (www.redfin.com) is the next-generation real estate brokerage, combining its own full-service agents with modern technology to redefine real estate in the consumer's favor. Founded by software engineers, Redfin has the country's #1 brokerage website and offers a host of online tools to consumers, including the Redfin Estimate, the automated home-value estimate with the industry's lowest published error rate for listed homes. Homebuyers and sellers enjoy a full-service, technology-powered experience from Redfin real estate agents, while saving thousands in commissions. Redfin serves more than 80 major metro areas across the U.S. The company has closed more than $60 billion in home sales.

For more information or to contact a local Redfin real estate agent, visit www.redfin.com. To learn about housing market trends and download data, visit the Redfin Data Center. To be added to Redfin's press release distribution list, subscribe here. To view Redfin's press center, click here.

SOURCE Redfin

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