Have You Given Up on Homeownership? It Could Change How You Spend and Save

What happens when an individual gives up on the idea of owning a home? They spend more on nonessential items, make risky investments and work less, a recent study showed, and those choices could help cement long-running income inequality trends.

“Discouraged renters consume more relative to their assets, work less, and invest more aggressively in risky assets—behaviors that erode their long-run financial stability,” according to the report “Giving Up” by economic researchers Younggeun Yoo of the University of Chicago and Seung Hyeong Lee of Northwestern University.

On the other hand, renters who remain hopeful that they will own a home show better financial habits and a stronger work ethic, the report found. And that may pay off in the long run, as renters who go on to own a home accumulate significantly more wealth than lifetime renters. 

“Hopeful renters adopt forward-looking behaviors: they reduce consumption, exert higher labor effort, and invest more cautiously to accumulate wealth for a future home purchase,” the report said.

Homeownership Prospects Have Fallen

The study compared Americans who turned 20 years old in 2010 to those who turned 20 in 1970, and projected that only 74.2% of the younger group would become homeowners. By comparison, 83.8% of the 1970 cohort eventually became homeowners.

Homeownership has been strained by persistently elevated mortgage rates and home prices, which have kept many potential buyers on the sidelines.

The study showed that around 15% of the 2010 cohort had given up on homeownership by age 30 and forecast that nearly all of that segment will remain discouraged by the time they reach their 40s.

The Impact on Investment Strategies

The researchers also found that homeownership status can affect investment strategies, especially if a renter is close to being able to buy a home.

The study found that renters and homeowners who had a net worth of more than $300,000 were equally likely to invest in cryptocurrencies. But renters with a lower net worth were more likely to buy into cryptocurrencies than homeowners with similar wealth, possibly in an effort to catch up. 

“As net worth declines below $300,000, however, renter participation rises relative to that of homeowners, suggesting a ‘gambling for redemption’ motive: risk-taking as a last resort to close the affordability gap,” the report said. “Yet this effect reverses at very low net worth levels—below $50,000—where the odds of success may be perceived as too remote to justify even speculative investment.”

Spending Decisions Can Add Up Over Time

Over the years, the spending habits of long-term renters can add up and lead to substantial and lasting wealth inequality. Lifetime renters will accumulate little or no wealth by age 65, while homeowners will spend that time building their nest egg.

“These dynamics underscore the powerful role of hope,” the report said. “Belief in the attainability of homeownership shapes savings, work effort, and investment decisions in compounding ways over the life cycle, with profound implications for long-run wealth distribution.”