THE FUSE

Homeownership is part of the American dream and, for some, a rite of passage into adulthood. Over the last five years, we have seen a stagnant housing market due to a variety of factors, including a lack of supply, stubbornly high mortgage rates, and generally increased prices of buying a house and all of the associated costs that come along with it. Due to the current market, people are renting at higher rates than have been previously seen in prior generations, with the median age of a first-time homeowner listed at 40 in 2026 in the United States (National Association of Realtors 2025).