It's not surprising that baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, own the most real estate of any age group. They were poised to take the most advantage of the Tax Relief Act of 1997 and other economic factors that have boosted housing into five consecutive records for sales.
Baby boomers have a higher rate of homeownership than the national average and one out of four own more than one property, says the National Association of Realtors, in a study conducted for NAR by Harris Interactive®.
David Lereah, NAR's chief economist, observes, "As a group, boomers are in their peak earning years and continue to wield great influence in the U.S. economy, but they are not homogeneous -- there are significant variances in needs, behavior, attitudes and resources. On one hand is an almost insatiable desire for real estate, with some owning multiple properties, and on the other, many have not adequately planned for retirement. What should not be overlooked are the discretionary spending interests of this generation, and their appreciation of housing as a great investment."
Nearly eight in ten boomers own their own homes which echoes a similar study by ERA Real Estate in February 2006. Almost nine out of ten have owned at some point in their lives, and 96 percent believe owning a home is a good financial investment which they back up with their actions.
For the portion of baby boomers who have never owned a home, 85 percent cited financial reasons but 38 percent simply didn't want the responsibility of homeownership.
Multiple property owners
One-quarter of respondents own one or more other kinds of real estate in addition to a primary residence: 13 percent own land, 8 percent own rental property, 7 percent a vacation home or seasonally occupied property, 2 percent commercial real estate and 3 percent some other kind of real estate.
In addition to a higher rate of homeownership, analysis by NAR shows baby boomers are proportionately more active in the second home market, owning 57 percent of all vacation/seasonal homes and 58 percent of rental property.
For the segment of boomers who own rental investment property, 34 percent own multiple properties: 14 percent own two rentals, 5 percent own three and a small number own four properties; however, 14 percent own five or more rental units.
Of the portion who own vacation homes or seasonally occupied property, 13 percent said they own two or more vacation or seasonal homes.
Four out of ten respondents who own a vacation home or seasonal property intend to eventually make that property a primary residence. Historically, other NAR survey data shows only one in five vacation-home buyers had such intentions when they first purchased the property.
Lereah said this has emerged as an investment strategy. "Some boomers will take advantage of generous capital gains exclusions from their taxes when they sell their primary residence, and then place themselves in the position of being able to convert a vacation home into their new primary residence which would later become eligible for the same tax treatment," he said. "Then, if their needs change in the future, they'll be able to take the capital gains tax break after they have lived in that home as their primary residence for two out the five previous years. It becomes a great way to build and protect a nest egg."
In the NAR's 2006 Profile of Second-Home Owners, the study found that the typical vacation home owner is 59 who makes about $120,600, while the median age of investment property owners is 55 who makes $98,600.
Ten percent of all boomers said they are likely to buy additional real estate in the next 12 months; two-thirds of those respondents said they were considering a primary residence but 26 percent were interested in land, 19 percent rental property, 15 percent a vacation or seasonal home and 14 commercial property.
Typical boomers have lived in their present home for a median of nine years, and plan to stay there for another five years. Two-thirds think it's important to pay off a mortgage quickly, but at the same time 58 percent are comfortable in purchasing with a small downpayment.
In deciding whether to buy a primary residence in the future, nearly half of the respondents that were considering a purchase said having sufficient wealth or favorable mortgage financing were factors.
In terms of their current financial condition, 43 percent say they are financially comfortable but 37 percent say they have just enough to make ends meet. Only 4 percent said they were well-off, and 17 percent said they are having financial difficulty. "That clouds the retirement options for many baby boomers," Stevens said.
Nearly two-thirds say it costs too much today to truly retire and never work again, and four out of ten expect they will pay for at least some college expenses for children or grandchildren; 38 percent said current financial needs mean they give little attention to financial planning for retirement. One in ten boomers is already retired, while others plan to work sometimes and have leisure time off.
Interestingly, three out of five say their idea of the perfect location to retire is in a rural area or small town, with only 12 percent saying an urban or city setting, and nearly half would consider living in an age-restricted community; 38 percent want to be close to family. If money were no object, access to quality health care is important to more boomers than being on a golf course (38 percent vs. 4 percent). Ideally, they would like to live in a rural area with access to quality health care.
