Although Gen-Zers are currently a small part of the housing market — they accounted for only 4 percent of sales in 2025 — real estate leaders have already identified the generation as the next tastemakers. However, there’s a divide between heterosexual and LGBTQ+ Gen-Zers, with the latter group’s homeownership and wealth trajectory at risk due to a lack of family support and discrimination.
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The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance‘s sixth annual survey revealed that 28.8 percent of respondents expect LGBTQ+ Gen-Zers to buy their first home by 39, which is roughly the median age of first-time homebuyers overall. That response reflects waning sentiment among LGBTQ+ respondents toward homeownership, with only 16.8 percent saying it is still part of the American Dream.
Tommie Wehrle
“There has been so much discussion about the wealth gap that exists in our nation and the potential lack of access to homeownership. As the number of young adults self-identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community has risen to nearly 25 percent of the entire Gen Z population, we wanted to explore how this group may fare in the future,” LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance President Tommie Wehrle said in a public statement. “Our report makes it clear that LGBTQ+ Gen Z adults will likely fall behind in the workforce, acquiring wealth, gaining financial stability, and entering homeownership.”
The Alliance asked heterosexual and LGBTQ+ respondents to define what the American Dream meant to them, and heterosexual respondents ranked homeownership at the top of their list, followed by financial independence, marriage, a stable career, the freedom to pursue personal passions, and living in a safe community.
However, LGBTQ+ respondents put homeownership last — prioritizing safe communities, financial independence, freedom to pursue personal passions, marriage and equal access to career opportunities ahead of becoming a homebuyer.
The ranking reflects escalating worries regarding LGBTQ+ rights, as community members highlight a rising trend of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation mainly targeting transgender and gender-expansive (TGX) individuals. More than half of respondents said heterosexual Gen-Zers have a career advantage, with 68.1 percent saying heterosexual professionals will reach a senior leadership position before their LGBTQ+ peers. Another 66.1 percent said heterosexual professionals are more likely to receive promotions of any kind first.
Workplace and housing discrimination are putting LGBTQ+ Gen-Zers on a potentially harrowing path, with roughly half of respondents expecting them to have less wealth than their heterosexual counterparts in 20 years (56.6 percent) and have less long-term financial stability (49.1 percent).
Wehrle said the survey’s findings “should concern everyone involved in housing, real estate sales, and public policy.”
“There are approximately 70 million people in Gen Z, with approximately 16 million who self-identify as LGBTQ+. We cannot afford to leave such a sizable number of people behind,” she added. “Today’s policies attacking our community by the current administration and in statehouses around the nation will have severe consequences down the road if there is not a course correction.”
Read the full report below:
