2026 NextGen Homebuyer Report
About the Report
The 2026 NextGen Homebuyer Report, conducted in partnership with National MI, is now available as both a comprehensive written report and presentation slides. This sixth annual edition offers the deepest look yet into how Gen Z and Millennials think about homeownership — and why so many are walking away from the process before they even start.
Led by Kristin Messerli, founder of FirstHome IQ, the 2026 report analyzes responses from 1,000 participants aged 18–44, capturing their financial realities, homeownership beliefs, trust in the housing system, and evolving relationship with AI. For the first time, the survey includes a validated trust battery, providing the most rigorous measurement of buyer trust and emotional experience to date.
About NextGen Research
Since launching our first NextGen Homebuyer Report in 2020, we've surveyed over 9,000 respondents aged 18–44, building the most comprehensive longitudinal dataset on young adult homebuying attitudes in the United States. The 2026 survey maintained our commitment to diverse representation across race, income, and gender. This year's findings reveal that the barriers to homeownership are less about capability and more about trust, information design, and a system that feels stacked against the people it's supposed to serve.
Key Insights
THE SYSTEM IS THE PROBLEM:: 6 in 10 NextGen buyers expect the housing system to work against them. Only 1 in 8 are not worried about being taken advantage of by a housing professional.
OVERWHELM IS DRIVING DISENGAGEMENT: 63% feel overwhelmed by the volume of homebuying information, 42% put off talking to professionals, and 37% avoid thinking about homebuying entirely — not because they don't care, but because the process feels paralyzing.
AI IS CATCHING UP TO HUMANS: 50% of NextGen buyers trust AI and human professionals about equally — or trust AI more — when it comes to creating a personalized homebuying plan. ChatGPT leads at 45% market share.
THE DREAM IS ALIVE, BUT CONFIDENCE HAS COLLAPSED: 8 in 10 say homeownership is essential to "making it," yet belief that it's a good investment dropped from 88% in 2021 to just 41% in 2026 — a 47-point decline.
EXPERIENCE NEARLY DOUBLES TRUST: Only 25% of non-owners believe a professional would recommend what's best for them. After buying, that jumps to 48%. The first interaction is everything..
Don't miss the Full Report (in addition to the slides above) where you can access additional data, longitudinal context, and actionable strategies not available in the slides.