Provident Bank’s First-Time Home Buyer Survey Reveals That While Homeownership Continues to Be Challenging, Many Americans Are Finding Their Home in Less Than a Year

ISELIN, NJ (OCTOBER 15, 2024): Provident Bank, a leading New Jersey-based financial institution, has released the results of its First-Time Home Buyer Survey, taking stock of the generational differences in how Americans are navigating a complicated housing market. This year’s survey revealed that, not surprisingly, searching for a first home is extremely challenging. The top two factors impacting budgets are high mortgage rates and the lack of homes within an original budget. However, across generations, Americans appear to be buying their first home after only looking less than a year, signaling growing optimism in the market. 

Potential homeowners are prolonging the buying process and waiting to make a final purchase:

Searching for a new home is challenging for first-time home buyers across generations. There are frequent bidding wars, which can lead to many making sacrifices for their dream home.

• Over 40% of Gen Xers have been involved in a significant number (5+) of bidding wars during the home-buying process. Comparatively, only 30% of Millennial respondents have had the same experience.
• Over 50% of Gen X respondents have had to significantly adjust their search criteria to stay within budget. Nearly 50% of both Millennials and Gen X respondents noted that they’ve settled for an older home that needs renovations to complete the buying process, compared to only 39% of Gen Z respondents.

Amidst all of these challenges, Americans still look toward traditional financial avenues to complete the home-buying process:

Overall, potential homeowners are still looking to traditional financial institutions to help them through the home-buying process. However, there are clear differences between how generations think about their financing options and the experts available to them.

• Over half of respondents noted that their savings account is their main source of capital for their down payment. The second highest source of capital stems from access to first-time home buyer program grant(s).
• 15% of Gen X respondents will look to a fintech company for financing for buying a first home compared to only 6% of Gen Z respondents. Nearly 56% of Gen X respondents will be speaking to a traditional bank as a source for the financing process in buying their first home.
• Just under 50% of all Millennial respondents noted they would look to a traditional bank for financing to buy their first home. 

“The findings from this year’s survey support what we’ve been hearing directly from customers - in order to navigate a highly competitive home buying market, understanding all of the financing resources and capital requirements at your disposal is the key to success,” said Margaret Volk, Senior Vice President, and Director of Mortgage and Consumer Lending, at Provident Bank. “Especially as we enter a new phase of the mortgage rate cycle, we believe it is our responsibility to ensure our customers are equipped with the resources and information needed to navigate the financing process to achieve such an important life goal like buying a home.”

The survey was conducted by Survey Monkey, a market research provider, on behalf of Provident Bank. The findings are based on 1,000 responses.

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About Provident Bank

Founded in Jersey City in 1839, Provident Bank is the oldest community-focused financial institution based in New Jersey and is the wholly owned subsidiary of Provident Financial Services, Inc. (NYSE:PFS). With assets of $24.07 billion as of June 30, 2024, Provident Bank offers a wide range of customized financial solutions for businesses and consumers with an exceptional customer experience delivered through its convenient network of 140 branches across New Jersey and parts of New York and Pennsylvania, via mobile and online banking, and from its customer contact center. The bank also provides fiduciary and wealth management services through its wholly owned subsidiary, Beacon Trust Company, and insurance services through its wholly owned subsidiary, Provident Protection Plus, Inc. To learn more about Provident Bank, go to www.provident.bank or call our customer contact center at 800.448.7768.

Media Contact:
Keith Buscio
[email protected]