Home Factors 
Homeownership has long symbolized stability and success in the American Dream, but it’s now morphed into the essential first step into adulthood.
A recent Harris Poll conducted for Coldwell Banker, titled “The 2025 American Dream Report,” reveals that:
71% of aspiring homeowners are delaying major life milestones—like marriage, having children, career moves, or even getting a pet—until they can afford their own home.
Rising costs, economic uncertainty, and shifting cultural priorities have transformed the process of buying a home, What was once considered a piece of the growing-up puzzle- is now a pivotal life event, that dictates when other milestones happen.
For many, owning property is about much more than financial security; it’s about feeling ready to build the life they envision.
Coldwell Banker partnered with The Harris Poll to survey over 3,000 adults across the U.S., including nearly 900 individuals planning to buy a home, to uncover how perceptions of the “American Dream” have shifted. The study explored where homeownership ranks among other key life milestones and how it influences decisions about family, career, and personal goals.
Let’s discover what the report has uncovered when it comes to aspiring homeowners.
Key Findings That Matter to Marketers
1. Delayed Life Milestones
Homeownership today means much more than a big financial decision; it’s actually reshaping how people plan their entire lives.
The findings reveal a major shift, that marketers should be considering when they plan their approach. Buying a home now sits at the center of life planning, pushing other milestones to the sidelines:
- 18% are postponing marriage or parenthood.
- 17% delay career changes or even pet ownership.
- 15% wait on starting a business.
Nearly one in five aspiring homeowners are putting off marriage or starting a family until they own a home. Think about that for a moment, growing a family is a deeply personal milestone- and it’s being reshaped by housing affordability and cultural expectations.
Things have traditionally symbolized independence and lifestyle flexibility, like getting a pet or switching careers, are being held up – as things that should be done post-homeownership.
And the 15% that are holding off on launching a business speaks volumes about how homeownership is being perceived. It’s a prerequisite for stability, an essential step before taking entrepreneurial risks.
This is a signal for marketers. Consumers are prioritizing homeownership above almost everything else, and that changes how we engage them.
Your campaigns need to acknowledge these trade-offs and speak to the emotional weight they carry. Such as:
- Offering financial education with content that helps your buyers feel empowered.
- Lifestyle storytelling that connects homeownership to personal aspirations.
- Tools and resources that make the process feel less like a blockade and more like a gateway to their new age “American Dream.”
Instead of the typical “dream home” messaging, your brand should lean into narratives about building a foundation, creating security for buyers’ future plans, and having the freedom to pursue their other dreams.
2. Generational Focus
If you want to understand where this trend is most pronounced, look no further than Gen Z.
A whopping 84% of Gen Z aspiring homeowners are delaying at least one major life milestone until they buy a home.
That’s so much more than just a statistic, it’s a becoming a cultural norm. For this generation, homeownership has ascended past being a simple financial goal and morphed into the official green light for adulthood.
What’s even more striking, 29% of Gen Z respondents are postponing having children until they own a home.
The concept of “readiness” has shifted; for previous generations, marriage or starting a family often came first, with homeownership following in it’s footsteps. But today, Gen Z sees a home as the foundation for everything else. They value having that security before expansion, they desire stability before growth.
For marketers, this insight is beyond important. It means that your campaigns targeting younger buyers need to go beyond selling square footage, an open floorplan, and a big back yard. Your content needs to speak to their aspirations, independence, and the emotional weight of “finally being ready.”
Your content should answer these questions:
- “Could buying a home be the starting point of the life you’ve been dreaming about?”
- “What can you do today to make those big goals feel closer than ever?”
The brands that win here aren’t just selling houses or services, you’re brand needs to step into the role of guide. They’re saying, “We want to help you build your future.” Lead with empathy, sprinkle in education, and empower your customers.
3. Later Buying Age
This one really hits home for me as a millennial…
More than 53% of first-time homebuyers expect to purchase after age 40.
Let’s let that sink in because what used to be a milestone in your late 20s or early 30s is now being pushed a decade later. But why?
Aspiring homeowners feel like they’re climbing Everest when it comes to saving for a down payment, with rising home prices, student debt, and the cost of living.
But it’s more than just the money, it’s about priorities. Many millennials and Gen Zers are choosing experiences, travel, and career flexibility over rushing into homeownership. Resulting in a generation redefining timelines and redefining what “settling down” looks like.
Which means your messaging can’t assume there’s an urgency or a desire for those once traditional life stages. Speak to today’s buyers with the understanding that they’re older, more financially savvy, and looking for homes that fit a lifestyle they’ve spent many years curating.
Create content around long-term planning, wealth-building strategies, and how homeownership can still be a smart move—even later in life.
4. Core of the American Dream
One thing hasn’t changed: owning a home still sits at the heart of what Americans consider “making it.”
In fact, 56% of people say homeownership is the ultimate expression of the American Dream—ranking higher than marriage, starting a family, or even career success.
That’s a powerful statement about how deeply this goal is woven into our cultural identity.
Not to mention, 85% agree that homeownership remains central to the American Dream.
It’s about pride, security, and a sense of accomplishment. For future buyers, a home represents stability and control- in a world that has proven to be extremely unpredictable.
Our homes are the place where we imagine building our future, creating memories, and it’s about investing in something that feels truly our own.
This should remind you that homeownership isn’t just a financial transaction, it’s an extremely emotional milestone for the buyer(s).
Campaigns that tap into the aspiration behind it, that speak to the why behind the purchase, will resonate. Celebrate the independence, belonging, and legacy that comes with your first home.
Conclusion
As kids, we imagine life as a neat checklist: turn 21, meet your person, buy the dream home, fill it with pets and laughter. But reality is far less linear.
Scroll through TikTok or Instagram today and you’ll see a common theme—there’s no universal timeline anymore. Everyone’s journey looks different, and that’s okay.
Still, one thing hasn’t changed, and that’s walking into your first home, keys in hand, feels like a major life goal win. But, it’s become much more than a milestone purchase; it’s more than just a piece of the “American Dream” puzzle. It’s the first, most pivotal piece.
Walking through your new front door is a moment of arrival into adulthood, a signal that you’ve built something solid for yourself.
Will your marketing evolve to match the new reality of homeownership as the ultimate milestone?
