A NextGen Homebuyer Report
How You're Built to Buy.
Money, trust and the meaning of home among Gen Z and millennial adults, ages 18 to 44.
Conducted by Kristin Messerli. Presented by National MI and FirstHome IQ.
Money, trust and the meaning of home among Gen Z and millennial adults, ages 18 to 44.
Conducted by Kristin Messerli. Presented by National MI and FirstHome IQ.
The industry reads habits. It looks at what someone saves, what they owe and whether they keep a budget. This study asked how money feels. Nearly 1,000 Gen Z and millennial adults answered, and the buyers with the best habits carry the same worry and the same suspicion as everyone else. Reduce the overwhelm and earn the trust, and the pool of buyers gets bigger.
About 1,000 U.S. millennials and Gen Z, surveyed in September 2026.
63% of regular savers still worry about their finances. 66% of everyone.
60% say there is so much homebuying information that it is overwhelming.
37% have put off talking to a homebuying professional because it feels overwhelming.
57% have avoided asking for help with money because of how it would look.
55% say thinking about their finances can make them feel like they've failed. 64% still believe they can reach a money goal.
54% worry a mortgage professional might take advantage of them. Same share among people who budget and save.
48% trust a human's homebuying plan more. 45% trust AI as much or more.
Half want a few clear options and every number. 77% want time to think.
64% say owning would feel most secure. 43% say a mortgage feels like a trap. 28% say both.
About one in ten knew the minimum on a conventional loan is 3%. Talking to a lender did not change that.
Every number above comes from the report. Get the one-page handout →
For anyone who sits across from a first-time buyer. Where FirstHome IQ already has a tool for the practice, it's linked.
A savings habit does not tell you how someone feels about a long-term payment. 63% of regular savers still worry.
60% find the information overwhelming and 37% have put off talking with a professional because of it.
Use itThe FirstHome Plan on learn.firsthomeiq.com ↗57% have avoided asking for help because of how it would look, and half of them had already talked to a professional. "You should already know this" is easy to send by accident.
Use itThe Words Matter guide →Good habits do not remove the worry about being taken advantage of; 54% of budgeters who save still have it. A recommendation that can be checked is easier to trust.
Use itJoin the Trust Certification waitlist →Half want both the short list and every number, and 77% want time to think before committing.
28% see the home as security and the mortgage as a trap at the same time.
About one in ten knew it, and talking to a lender did not change that.
Use itThe FirstHome IQ Quiz →Kristin Messerli and Dave Savage take How You're Built to Buy apart chapter by chapter, with the numbers on screen. One hour, free, built for loan officers and agents.
You get the full deck of findings, and we email it to you.
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Download the slides →Kristin Messerli, Executive Director, FirstHome IQ. Reach us through the contact page →
How You're Built to Buy, a NextGen Homebuyer Report. Conducted by Kristin Messerli. Presented by National MI and FirstHome IQ.
This study was conducted by NextGen Research and sponsored by National MI and FirstHome IQ. Two online surveys were fielded through Pollfish on September 2, 2026, with 943 responses retained after quality screening. Questions about shame, self-belief and help preferences were asked only in the second survey (n=491). Percentages are unweighted and describe the people surveyed, who include current owners and a range of purchase plans. Full methods are on page 06.
Getting Started on Teach is five free steps: experience the education, see the trust gap, teach your first class, communicate trust, and share your education page.
Want to see your own build first? Take the quiz at builtlikethat.co ↗
