More Renters Expect to Keep On Renting

Headquartered in McLean, VA, Freddie Mac says fewer renters have plans to relocate, whether to a house or another apartment.

MCLEAN, VA—Trading a rental for the dream of homeownership? Not so fast, according to the latest Freddie Mac survey of renters. An even larger majority of those surveyed said they expect to rent their next home: 59%, up from 55% six months ago.

Not surprisingly, the biggest gains in this cohort were seen among younger Millennials, for whom homeownership may be a foreign concept. Seventy-three percent of those surveyed said they planned to rent their next home, compared to 64% in September 2016. Another group that registered a preference for staying in the renter pool was suburban households, up from 48% six months ago to 57% in the most recent Freddie survey.