First-time homebuyers are like the first domino. They're the headwaters of the real estate Nile. They're the small acorns into which the mighty oaks of housing grow.
Or, if you've had a classical education (ahem!) you'd slip in some Latin and say: they are the sine qua non.
Pretensions aside, the market needs people – usually youngish, often minorityish, generally modest income-ish – to buy the less expensive homes, providing the means for the current owners of those homes – that is, the previous generation of dominos – to move up to nicer places.
The overall health and vibrancy of a market does, in many ways, depend on those first-time buyers.
And a city that wants to keep those very important, ever-so-cool millennials flowing in, can entice them with the lure of housing: What a great place to buy a home!
So how do we rank in Atlanta? The city now, not the ‘burbs. Are we attractive on that score?
The list-obsessed folks at WalletHub today released a report and a ranking: among the nation's large cities, Atlanta is the 26th best for first-time homebuyers – right behind Indianapolis and just ahead of Charlotte and Dallas.
Among all cities, we do a lot worse: 110th.
Number one large city was Lexington, Kentucky (Really? That’s large?). Number one overall was Overland Park, Kansas.
WalletHub concocted a formula that mashed together a number of different metrics to reach that conclusion, including measures of affordability, quality of life and the overall market's health.
Data and anecdotes alike indicate that fewer non-owners are buying homes.
WalletHub cites a report from the National Association of Realtors that found only 32 percent of homebuyers were first-timers, down from an historical average of 40 percent. WalletHub also mentions a Gallup poll showing that 38 percent of the people who don't own homes figure they won't be buying one soon, up from 31 percent three years ago.
WalletHub is actually not in the business of calculating and producing lists – although it seems to be one of the nation's leading manufacturers of such lists. The Washington-based company offers credit scores and full credit reports as well as financial advice.
