Unmarried couples buying homes together is a rising trend, according to an article by Time magazine.
In 2010, 48 percent of American ages 15 to 44 said they had lived with a partner without being married. That 14 percentage-point jump from the 34 percent in 1995 has affected how couples buy homes as well.
Young couples from 18 to 34 were more likely to buy a home with a partner without being married than those 45 and older, according to a survey from Coldwell Banker.
Only 14 percent of the older, married couples bought homes together before they were married. In the younger age group, 24 percent purchased their homes before being married.
For some couples, buying a home together is the “new engagement ring,” Robi Ludwig, a psychotherapist and Coldwell Banker’s lifestyle correspondent, told Time.
Some couples who buy homes pre-marriage don’t have fancy weddings or honeymoons and use that money to cover a house down payment instead, according to Time.
Home ownership in so-called millennials is still decreasing, however. Young adult home ownership decreased from 40 to 34 percent from 2007 to 2011. The Coldwell Banker study did show that a certain demographic of millennials is interested in home ownership.
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