Turns out, “the bank of mom and dad” is important in the real estate market.
A new report by Bank of America found that 54% of NYC metro area homebuyers expect help from their parents — far more than the national average of 40%, and more than in any other metropolitan area surveyed.
That percentage rockets for millennial New Yorkers, 72% of whom are counting on parental help, which could range from financial support to assistance with moving in, according to the Bank of America Homebuyer Insights Report.
But the helping hand of mom and dad may have some strings attached. In the national survey, 28% of millennials acknowledged that parental support means their folks will have a say in their final home purchase.
Purchasing an abode is a high priority for New Yorkers, according to the survey: 89% considered saving for or paying off a home to be “important,” and the same amount said saving for retirement is a prerogative.
In terms of what they’re looking for, two-thirds of local first-time buyers (versus 75% nationally) said they would rather invest in a home that suits their future needs and one they can grow into, rather than a “starter home.” More than half — 51% — said they haven’t purchased a home yet because they didn’t think they could afford what they want.
Nearly seven in 10 homebuyers in the NYC metro area said they want a single-family home and 61% said they were looking to settle in the suburbs — though that finding might be influenced by the location of the 30 local “metro” counties included in the survey. The locales ranged as far as Pike and Wayne counties in Pennsylvania and Fairfield County, Connecticut.
