People Would Rather Own Half a Home Than Keep Renting. But There's a Catch.
A new survey reveals something interesting about the future of homeownership. Americans are increasingly willing to buy homes together. But they are worried about doing it the right way.
For generations, the path to homeownership followed a familiar story. Get a good job. Find a partner. Save for a down payment. Buy a house.
But what happens when you have the good job, you've been saving, you're doing everything you're supposed to do, and buying a home still feels completely out of reach?
You start questioning life goals.
And apparently, a lot of Americans are doing exactly that.
The American dream might be getting a rewrite.
A September 2026 survey from Neighbors Bank found that 60% of Americans would rather own half a home now than continue renting while they save to buy one alone.
And it doesn't stop there.
71% said they'd consider buying a home with someone other than a spouse. For Gen Z, 45% would consider buying with a close friend.
That's a pretty significant departure from the idea that homeownership has to start with marriage or a single person earning enough to shoulder the entire cost.
But maybe it shouldn't be surprising.
People share apartments. They split rent. They combine resources to travel, raise children, build businesses, and care for family members.
Yet when it comes to buying a house with friends or family, we've somehow convinced ourselves that doing it together is an extraordinary risk.
Meanwhile, paying a landlord thousands of dollars every month while waiting for the perfect circumstances has become completely normal.
But here's where it gets real.
The same survey found that 94% of respondents would likely put a co-buying agreement in writing.
And 60% would include a plan for what happens if someone wants out.
Think about what those numbers are actually telling us.
People aren't simply saying, "Let's buy a house together and figure it out."
They're saying, "I'm willing to share the investment. But I want to know how this works before I commit."
That's not recklessness. That's a remarkably practical response to an increasingly impractical housing market.
Because buying a home with another person raises real questions.
Who pays for the new roof? What happens if someone loses their job? Who gets to use the property during the holidays? What if one person wants to sell and everyone else wants to stay?
And perhaps the biggest question of all: What happens to the relationship when something goes wrong?
These aren't reasons to abandon the idea. They're reasons to do it the right way from the beginning.
The real risk isn't buying together, it's buying without an intelligent plan.
Here's something worth considering.
When two people get married and buy a house, society generally celebrates the milestone. We recognize the financial commitment, but we don't automatically assume the relationship is doomed because they've purchased property together.
When two friends consider doing the same thing, the warnings come quickly.
Don't mix friendship and money. What if you have a falling out? What if one of you wants to leave?
Those are fair questions. But they're not unique to friendships.
Every shared property comes with financial obligations, competing priorities, changing circumstances, and the possibility that the relationship between its owners will evolve. The difference is that we've built familiar systems around some ownership arrangements while treating others as exceptions.
It's not that hard to fix.
A written co-ownership agreement can establish ownership percentages, financial responsibilities, decision-making rules, and a process for selling or transferring an interest. People also need practical ways to manage the home together, keep track of expenses, make decisions, and ensure everyone understands what's happening.
The goal isn't to guarantee that nothing will ever go wrong. It's to make sure that when something does, everyone isn't starting from scratch.
It "used" to be a terrible idea.
For a long time, the question was whether buying a home with friends or family was a good idea.
But if 71% of Americans would consider buying with someone other than a spouse, perhaps we're asking the wrong question.
Maybe the more useful question is:
What would it take to make buying together as understandable, structured, and accessible as buying alone?
Because the desire to own a home hasn't changed.
People still want stability. A place to build a life. A chance to invest in something of their own instead of sending another rent payment into the void.
What they're reconsidering is the idea that they have to get there by themselves.
And they're not asking to throw caution to the wind. They're asking for the structure, clarity, and protection that a major financial commitment deserves.
The housing market may have made the traditional path harder to follow.
But that doesn't mean the dream of homeownership has to wait.
Sources
Survey findings reflect stated attitudes and intentions, not actual home purchases.
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