Surveys shed light on adult children, housing
One recent study found that perhaps half of all parents are paying bills for at least one adult child over age 24. Other recent research found that folks don’t know as much about housing finance as they think they do, that people aren’t switching houses as much as they used to and that renters tend to owe money to creditors.
Let’s dive into some of these revelations.
According to a survey by American Consumer Credit Counseling, a national nonprofit that helps consumers with budgeting, financial education and debt management, 41 percent of those polled are providing support for one adult child. Ten percent are supporting two.
The most common type of support was in the form of housing. Either mom and dad were providing housing in their own homes, or they were paying for their kids’ places. Second on the list was helping adult children with their household bills.
That may be one reason millennials aren’t leaving the nest in droves. After all, why turn your back on a good thing? But it’s also a factor in why empty nesters aren’t moving. Perhaps they can’t afford to move if they are still supporting an adult child or two. Or maybe they just don’t want to disturb the household situation.
Another reason people aren’t buying: the fear of rejection. According to research from Wells Fargo, nearly two-thirds of the respondents believe — incorrectly — that they need a “very good” credit score to qualify. Many lenders are clearing would-be borrowers with less than pristine credit. Otherwise, few houses would change hands.
People are also mistaken in thinking only folks with high incomes can buy a house these days, which 3 in 10 Wells Fargo survey respondents believe, or that it takes at least 20 percent down, a belief held by 44 percent of respondents.
According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the typical down payment across all segments of the market, not just for people starting out, was 21 percent of the purchase price. But 22 percent of all buyers put down less than 10 percent.
The above findings dovetail nicely into a report from the Census Bureau that shows the migration rate — that is, the share of the population that moves within the U.S. — is half of what it used to be. Between 1984 and 1985, about 20 percent of the population changed places. But in the 2014-15 period, it was 11 percent. Even more striking is the drop-off in movement among young people ages 24 to 35, who are considered the most mobile age group. Typically, they have completed their education and secured a job; they’re forming their own households and eventually marry and have kids.
Between 1999 and 2000, 35 percent of young adults ages 20 to 24 moved elsewhere, as did 27 percent of those ages 25 to 34. But in the 2014-15 period, their migration rates were just 23 percent and 20 percent, respectively.
One reason, perhaps: Renters who have never had a mortgage tend to have lower credit scores and more debt issues than other groups, according to findings from the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. Renters who haven’t had a mortgage in the past 16 years are less likely to have credit card debt, but they are more likely to have debt in collections than any other group, including homeowners with a mortgage and renters who have had a home loan in the recent past.
Renters also have the lowest credit scores, which is a worry given the size of the group: some 96 million strong, or nearly 40 percent of all adults in 2015.
Finally, there’s this silly bit of research from Zillow that shows homes close to a Trader Joe’s tend to appreciate a tad faster than those near a Whole Foods: 148 percent between 1997 and 2014 for Trader Joe’s versus 140 percent for Whole Foods. Over the same time frame, the median home grew in value by just 71 percent. Earlier research from Zillow found that appreciation rates were greater for places near a Starbucks than they were for houses near Dunkin’ Donuts.