Young Homebuyers Turn to Older Co-Borrowers as Purchases Fall 15%, Rocket Finds

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Young Americans are buying fewer homes than they did seven years ago, but mortgages involving older co-applicants have proved more resilient, according to a new analysis of federal mortgage data attributed to Rocket Mortgage.

Purchase originations involving borrowers younger than 35 were 15% lower in 2025 than in 2018, while purchases involving a co-applicant age 55 or older were approximately 3% higher over the same period. The share of younger buyers purchasing with an older co-applicant rose from roughly one in 36 in 2018 to one in 30 in 2025, according to the findings reported October 27 by National Mortgage Professional.

A Different Measure of Family Help

The analysis used Home Mortgage Disclosure Act purchase-origination data covering 2018 through 2025. It captures the presence of older co-applicants on mortgage applications, rather than measuring gifts for down payments or proving that every older co-applicant is a parent or relative. WRE News has not independently reproduced Rocket’s calculations or reviewed a full methodological appendix, so the results are attributed to the lender.

The differences across metropolitan areas are substantial. In Anaheim, California, approximately one in 13 purchases by borrowers under 35 involved a co-applicant 55 or older in 2025, the highest share among the 50 largest metros examined. Fort Lauderdale posted the largest increase in that share since 2018, at roughly 68%. Virginia Beach recorded the lowest share, approximately one in 50.

Rocket Chief Business Officer Bill Banfield said families see homeownership as a route to stability and equity, prompting some older adults to join younger buyers’ applications.

The Risk Extends Beyond Qualification

An older co-borrower can help an applicant qualify by adding income and assets, but also assumes responsibility for the mortgage. Missed payments can affect both borrowers’ credit, and the additional obligation may complicate the older person’s future borrowing. Removing a co-borrower later can require refinancing or another lender-approved process.

The figures suggest that buyers who can draw on an older co-applicant may have more options than those without such support. They do not establish how much of the broader decline in young-buyer activity is caused by prices, borrowing costs, credit standards or other factors.

Source: National Mortgage Professional, October 27, 2026, reporting Rocket Mortgage’s HMDA analysis.