More than half of Hispanic homeowners have lived with family without paying rent to help make housing payments, versus 38% of white homeowners.
Hispanic homeowners in the U.S. are more likely than people of other races or ethnicities to receive financial help making their housing payments, according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage. They’re also more likely to have adult relatives live in their home.
That familial support helps explain why the Hispanic homeownership rate has steadily risen over the last six years, with 50.1% of Hispanic or Latino Americans owning their home in 2020, up from 45.4% in 2014. The Hispanic homeownership rate has increased faster than the rate for white or Black Americans over the same time period.
Fifty-two percent of Hispanic homeowners have lived with family or friends without paying rent to save for housing costs, versus 39% of Black respondents and 38% of white respondents. Additionally, Hispanic respondents are more likely than respondents of other races to have received direct help making rent or mortgage payments from parents and other family members.
That’s according to a Redfin survey of homeowners fielded during the first week of June. The survey had more than 1,500 respondents: 385 identified themselves as Hispanic, 238 identified themselves as Black and 499 identified themselves as white.
Meanwhile, 47% of Hispanic homeowners have adult relatives living in their home, compared with 39% of Black homeowners and 27% of white homeowners.
“Hispanic people in the U.S., especially those who are undocumented, tend to have less access to credit and higher debt compared to other racial or ethnic groups, making them more dependent on support from family to buy a home,” said Sebastian Sandoval-Olascoaga, an economist at Redfin. “With those limitations, support from family and social networks–such as living with family or friends without paying rent–allows Hispanic people to save money for a down payment or monthly mortgage costs. That ability to rely on family is one of multiple reasons why the Hispanic homeownership rate is steadily rising.”
Hispanic homeowners most likely to have made financial sacrifices to buy a home
Hispanic homeowners are also more likely than people of other races to have made financial sacrifices to afford their first home. Forty-four percent of Hispanic homeowners worked longer hours, 39% took an extra job and 38% drove an older car.
“For many Hispanic Americans, making social or personal sacrifices is a necessity if they want to buy a home,” Sandoval-Olascoaga said. “That’s especially true this year, as Hispanic people were more likely than people of other races to lose their jobs due to the pandemic. Plus, undocumented immigrants are unable to access financial help from the government and may have to rely on family, adding to the need for Hispanic families to make economic sacrifices.”
Just 10% of Hispanic homeowners reported making no sacrifices to buy their first home, versus 23% of white homeowners.
To view the full report, including charts and methodology, please visit:
https://www.redfin.com/news/survey-hispanic-homeowners-financial-support-family
About Redfin
Redfin (www.redfin.com) is a technology-powered real estate broker, instant home-buyer (iBuyer), lender, title insurer, and renovations company. We sell homes for more money and charge half the fee. We also run the country’s #1 real-estate brokerage site. Our home-buying customers see homes first with on-demand tours, and our lending and title services help them close quickly. Customers selling a home can take an instant cash offer from Redfin or have our renovations crew fix up their home to sell for top dollar. Since launching in 2006, we’ve saved customers more than $1 billion in commissions. We serve more than 95 markets across the U.S. and Canada and employ over 4,100 people.
For more information or to contact a local Redfin real estate agent, visit www.redfin.com. To learn about housing market trends and download data, visit the Redfin Data Center. To be added to Redfin’s press release distribution list, email press@redfin.com. To view Redfin’s press center, click here.
SOURCE Redfin