New Jersey-based TD Bank, with 17 facilities in Fairfield County and 19 in Westchester County, released a recent survey that sees first-time homeowners entering the market after a recession-fueled stint on the sidelines.
The TD survey of 1,000 polled those who indicated they were looking to buy their first home in the next five years. Nearly one in five potential first-time homebuyers is actively looking to buy and nearly two-thirds would like to provide a down payment of 20 percent or more, the survey found.
The survey cited debt and stagnant wages as factors that had kept potential buyers from becoming buyers.
The data also revealed 62 percent of potential first-time homebuyers think they will purchase a home within the next two years. Among millennial survey respondents, the number is 67 percent.
“It”™s encouraging to see interest from the first-time homebuyers, who have been cautious for much of the housing recovery,” said Scott Haymore, TD Bank”™s head of pricing and secondary markets. “Consumers are gaining confidence in the economy and many are looking to enter the housing market within the next two years.”
Other details of the survey included:
Ӣ More than two-thirds of consumers (68 percent) looking to purchase their first home are interested in move-in ready homes; one-third want a fixer-upper.
Ӣ Forty-three percent are looking to purchase their first home in a suburban area compared with 20 percent who want a home in a big city or metro area.
Ӣ When asked what is preventing them from purchasing their first home, respondents most often cited the need to save money for a down payment (64 percent) and the need to pay down debt (45 percent). For millennials answering the same question, 70 percent cited the need for more savings and 52 percent were hamstrung by debt.
