loading...

Is Cryptocurrency the New Down Payment For Millennials?

  • January 10th 2022

by Nena Perry-Brown

It turns out that bitcoin may be helping millennials become homeowners.

About 12% of first-time homebuyers surveyed in the fourth quarter of 2021 cited a cryptocurrency sale in helping them make a down payment, according to Redfin. This is an increase from 8.8% in the third quarter of 2020 and 4.6% in the third quarter of 2019.

Share of first-time homebuyers who used cryptocurrency for down payment. Click to enlarge.

Of the buyers surveyed, 52% made a down payment using their take-home pay, 12% used cash gifted from their family, and 10% pulled from a retirement fund. Millennials not only own more cryptocurrency than other generations, but they also account for over half of new mortgages.

“With extra time and a lack of exciting ways to spend money, many people began trading cryptocurrencies during the pandemic,” Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather said in a statement. “Some of those investments went up in smoke, but others went ‘to the moon,’ or at least rose enough to help fund a down payment on a home.”

See other articles related to: cryptocurrency, first-time buyers, homebuying, millennials

This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/is-cryptocurrency-the-new-down-payment-for-millennials/19124.

DC Real Estate Guides

Short guides to navigating the DC-area real estate market

We've collected all our helpful guides for buying, selling and renting in and around Washington, DC in one place. Start browsing below!