Why Gen Z thinks homeownership is out of reach and what we can do about it

This week on Power House, Zeb sits down with Kristin Messerli, a strategist and speaker on millennial and Gen Z housing trends and the founder of FirstHome IQ. Kristin talks about the 2025 NextGen Homebuyers Report, which surveyed over 8,000 millennials and Gen Z consumers to uncover the financial literacy gaps when it comes to homeownership.

Kristin dives deep into why financial myths persist despite widespread information availability, how AI is rapidly changing how young buyers research homes, and how community partnerships can bridge the trust gap in an age of information overload.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• Why 92% of next-gen buyers are wrong about down payment requirements and how this myth persists across all education and income levels

• How information overload is causing young buyers to delay major financial decisions and shut down completely

• The surprising correlation between confidence levels and actual financial literacy test scores

• Why building relationships and empathy is becoming more critical than knowledge sharing in the AI age

• How First Home IQ is partnering with high schools and community organizations to tackle financial literacy at the source

• The broader community impact when entire generations feel priced out of homeownership

Related to this episode:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

• Kristin Messerli | LinkedIn
• FirstHome IQ
• 2025 NextGen Financial Literacy Report
  
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Enjoy the episode!

The Power House podcast brings the biggest names in housing to answer hard-hitting questions about industry trends, operational and growth strategy, and leadership. Join HousingWire president Diego Sanchez every Thursday morning for candid conversations with industry leaders to learn how they’re differentiating themselves from the competition. Hosted and produced by the HousingWire Content Studio.