Should Gen Z Even Bother Buying a House? The Real Numbers Exposed

Should you rent or buy? Turns out the "adult" thing to do isn't always the smart financial move. This week, Vivian sits down with Amanda Pendleton, Home Trends Expert at Zillow, to break down why the old rules of real estate don't apply anymore, and what actually makes sense for your life instead of your parents' life.

In this episode, Vivian and Amanda cover:

1. Why the "buying means you've made it" mindset is so hard to shake, whether Gen-Z's fears about never owning a home are actually justified, and the cities right now where renters come out ahead financially, even over 30 years.

2. The real questions to ask before you ever open a mortgage calculator, whether "throwing money away on rent" is actually true, and the hidden costs, taxes, insurance, maintenance, HOA fees, that blow up most people's math.

3.What to do if you don't have 20% saved, the down payment assistance programs most first-time buyers don't know exist, and the one piece of conventional real estate wisdom Amanda thinks you should ignore.

Keep up with Amanda at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-pendleton-b0b98056/.

Learn more about Zillow’s BuyAbility calculator https://www.zillow.com/homeloans/buyability/ and try out the rent vs buy calculator https://www.zillow.com/rent-vs-buy-calculator.

Find the Zillow Plan tab https://www.zillow.com/plan.

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