Home purchases by millennials have ticked up since 2017, but inventory constraints and higher housing costs kept their overall activity subdued and prevented some from leaving the more affordable confines of their Gen X and baby boomer parents' homes.

This is according to the National Association of Realtors® 2018 Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends　study, which evaluates the generational differences　of recent home buyers and sellers. The survey additionally found that millennial buyers prioritize living close to friends and family over a home's location and proximity to schools, and an overwhelming majority used a real estate agent to buy or sell a home.

Slightly more than a third of all home purchases were made by millennials over the past year (36 percent; 34 percent in 2017), which kept them as the most active generation of buyers for the fifth consecutive year. Gen X buyers ranked second (26 percent; 28 percent in 2017), followed by younger (18 percent) and older baby boomers (14 percent) and the Silent Generation, those born between 1925 and 1945 (6 percent; 8 percent in 2017).

According to Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist who spoke at the Eastern Connecticut Association of Realtors RESource Conference earlier this year, stubbornly low inventory conditions pushed home prices out of reach for many.

Revealing the greater purchasing power needed over the past year, the typical millennial buyer in the survey had a higher household income ($88,200) than a year ago ($82,000) and purchased the same-sized home (1,800-square-feet) at a more expensive price ($220,000; $205,000 in 2017). Millennials also had higher student debt balances than in last year's survey, and slightly more of them said saving for a down payment was the most difficult task in buying a home. As a result, the overall share of millennial buyers remains at an underperforming level.

Similar to previous years, younger boomers were the most likely to purchase a multi-generational home (20 percent), with a noteworthy rise in those indicating the top reason they did was for their adult children (above 18 years old) to live at home (39 percent; 30 percent in 2017), as well as their parents (22 percent; 18 percent in 2017).

The survey also found a growing a share of Gen X buyers buying for multi-generational purposes (15 percent; 12 percent in 2017), with a big jump in the top reason being for their adult children (35 percent; 26 percent in 2017) and parents living with them (30 percent; 19 percent in 2017).

When deciding where to buy a home, quality of the neighborhood is the factor most influencing buyers of all ages, followed closely by convenience to a job for those up to working age (millennials to younger boomers). Interestingly, even more than the location and quality of a school, recent millennial buyers were just as likely as older boomers and the Silent Generation (at 43 percent) to consider proximity to friends and family.

"The sense of community and wanting friends and family nearby is a major factor for many homebuyers of all ages," said Yun. "Similar to Gen X buyers who have their parents living at home, millennial buyers with kids may seek the convenience of having family nearby to help raise their family."

Buyers and sellers across all age groups continue to seek the assistance of a real estate agent when buying and selling a home. At 90 percent, millennials were the most likely to purchase a home through a real estate agent, and help understanding the buying process was cited as the top benefit millennials said their agent provided (75 percent). Overall, at least 84 percent in every other generation worked with an agent to close the deal.

On the seller side, Gen X and older boomers were the most likely to use an agent (91 percent), followed closely by millennials (90 percent) and younger boomers (88 percent). The near universal use of an agent to sell a home helped keep for-sale-by-owner transactions at their lowest share ever for the third straight year (8 percent).

The Eastern Connecticut Association of Realtors is the Voice of Real Estate in Windham and New London Counties, with over 925 Realtor members helping families buy or sell real estate.  To find your local Realtor, go to www.easternctrealtors.com.