Young buyers are pooling resources as lenders adapt, offering programs for unrelated co-borrowers and credit models that better reflect real-world payment behavior.
NEW YORK — Gen Z is turning to co-buying as a practical path to homeownership amid today’s affordability challenges.
Surveys show that more than half of aspiring home buyers say their income is not high enough to cover upfront buying costs. About one-third of adult Gen Zers, born between 1996 and 2012, are open to pooling funds with friends or family, compared with 18% of millennials.
This shift has supported the growth of companies designed to guide shared purchases, while lenders are adapting through programs that allow unrelated co-borrowers to qualify together. New credit models, including VantageScore 4.0, also help buyers by incorporating rental, utility and telecom data.
Successful co-ownership still requires structure, from setting financial expectations to creating written agreements for maintenance, default and exit decisions. These parameters should be addressed in a co-buying or co-ownership agreement prepared by an attorney.
Co-buying's rise points to how Gen Z is adapting to today's market and finding workable ways to enter homeownership.
Source: Inman (12/10/25) DeCicco, Annette
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