Gen Z homeowners? Yes, more in their 20s are managing to buy despite the odds

"“I sanded down all the hardwood floors, stained them again. I was adding polyurethane today. It's looking really nice,” he said. Vazquez is part of a small but growing share of Gen Zers managing to buy a home despite historically unaffordable prices, and when the average age of first-time buyers has climbed to 40. They are outpacing millennials, many of whom also struggled to buy at the same age. They're less likely to use help from parents and far more likely to be single buyers, especially women."

"“Gen Zers seem to have learned from millennials,” said Jessica Lautz, deputy chief economist at the National Association of Realtors, which tracks buying trends. She also credits their use of social media for financial planning. “They're embracing the knowledge that is at hand.” A job in fast food and an aggressive savings plan Vazquez changed careers to make homeownership happen."

"He'd majored in conservation science, on a scholarship with no student loans, then moved to Texas to work in that field. First he helped rescue alligators and place them in a sanctuary, then got a job at a zoo. He loves animals and said the jobs were “super fun.” But the pay was so low he started questioning the value of his college degree. “I wasn't going to be able to support a wife, let alone kids, or buy a home,” he said."

"So he moved back home to Wisconsin thinking he'd become an electrician, but stumbled on a job posting to help manage a fast food restaurant. It turned out to have great pay an"

Francisco Vazquez in Milwaukee bought a three-bedroom home with a basement, garage, and yard, then spent spring fixing it up by sanding and restaining hardwood floors and adding polyurethane. He represents a growing share of Gen Z buyers who are managing homeownership despite historically unaffordable prices and an average first-time buyer age that has risen to around 40. Gen Z buyers are outpacing millennials, are less likely to rely on help from parents, and are more likely to buy as single buyers, especially women. Their approach includes learning from prior generations and using social media for financial planning. Vazquez changed careers after low pay in conservation work and zoo jobs led him to question his degree’s value, then moved into higher-paying fast food management and built an aggressive savings plan.

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