The net view of home buying among millennials and members of Generation Z has been slightly more negative than positive since the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, according to a new survey by the consultancy Cultural Outreach and National Mortgage Insurance Corp.
The share of respondents who haven't yet purchased a home and view the idea more negatively is 31%. The percentage of respondents in this category whose outlook hasn't changed is 41% and the share of respondents who actually view the market more positively is 28%.
The responses in the NextGen Homebuyer Report suggest that the question of whether low rates will continue to outweigh health and employment concerns for entry-level buyers remains to be seen.
The future outlook of these buyers may depend in part on how much significance they attach to rates and whether they can make or get help with down payments.
The down payment was identified as the primary financial hurdle by 77% of respondents, and the survey also found that while the majority or 61% of respondents feel confident in their understanding of “mortgage,” just 47% feel confident they understand the term “interest rate.”
One takeaway from this for mortgage lenders is that the industry should use more layman's terms when communicating with customers the way some of the newer digital point-of-sale systems do, said Kristin Messerli founder of Cultural Outreach.
"A lot of people are still not comfortable with mortgage lingo," she said. "That's been an issue for a long time, but I will say now I think people are starting to pay more attention in the context of a lender's digital presence."
