60% of Single-Family Renters Plan to Buy Within 5 Years

Renters of single-family homes are twenty-five percent more likely than apartment tenants to stay in their current homes fives years or longer, according to a new survey by Opinion Research Corporation. The finding suggests that “demand for single-family homes, the fastest growing rental category, will be more stable than multi-family demand,” according to the survey findings. Renters also say they plan to become home owners one day, particularly among single-family tenants. Sixty percent of single-family renters and 44 percent of apartment renters say they plan to become home owners within the next five years. “The near term interest in becoming home owners among single-family tenants reflects the new roles single-family rentals are fulfilling as a stepping stone to home ownership for first-time buyers and as a sanctuary for large numbers of families displaced by foreclosures but who plan to buy again when they can afford to do so,” according to the survey results. The survey also found that single-family renters make more money and are twice as likely to have children as apartment renters, according to the survey. The survey found that the median income of a single-family renter is $75,000 to $100,000 compared to $50,000-$75,000 for apartment dwellers. Single-family renters also tend to be older, with the majority aged 35 to 44, compared to 14 to 34 among apartment dwellers. Source: Opinion Research Corporation