The New American Dream: Buying A House With Your BFFs… But Why?!
You’ll never guess how these friends are making their childhood dreams come true – and transforming the American housing market in the process! 🏡🧑🤝🧑 #CommunalLiving #MillennialHousing #RetirementGoals
St. Paul, Minnesota – Gone are the days when the American dream meant a white picket fence and a nuclear family. In today’s economy, more and more people are rethinking what home ownership looks like – and for many, that means buying a house with friends. 🏠👫💰
A Fresh Take on Family
One woman in her late 40s never expected she’d be sharing a bathroom with a teenage boy, but that’s exactly what happened when she moved in with a good friend and her two kids after a divorce. For them, it’s more than just a living arrangement – it’s a whole new take on what family can mean.
They see it as a co-parenting situation, a way to share expenses, and most importantly, a model of deep friendship and support. The homeowner’s friend pays rent and helps out with utilities, groceries, yard work and home improvements. They’re even discussing an arrangement where she could own half the house. While it’s had its challenges, like navigating a growing family, both women have benefited immensely, both financially and emotionally.
Rethinking Homeownership
This kind of creative living situation is becoming increasingly common. With home prices and mortgage rates still high, and more Americans staying single longer, many are realizing the advantages of teaming up with friends to buy property together. In fact, the number of co-buyers with different last names has skyrocketed by over 700% in recent years!
For younger generations especially, communal living offers a way to afford a home while aligning with their values. Many see it as not just economically smart, but also better for mental health and the environment. It allows underserved communities to build wealth. And in a society that often isolates non-traditional families, buying a home together is a powerful form of acceptance and belonging.
Duplex Dreams
One young realtor helps people achieve the dream of homeownership even when they thought it was impossible. But he has an ownership dream of his own: buying a duplex with his childhood best friend, just like they always planned. His TikTok about the idea blew up, showing just how much it resonates.
By purchasing and living in a multi-family home together, he explains, friends can build equity instead of paying rent, live cheaply but still have their own space, and make their childhood dream a reality. For him, it fulfills his generation’s desire to prioritize what they love, like close friendships and standing for their beliefs.
Retirement Goals
Meanwhile, the woman who moved in with her friend has an even bigger goal: to buy an 8-bedroom home and turn it into a communal retirement oasis for older Black women, with accessibility, transportation, and companionship all built in. For her and so many others, it’s all about sharing resources and ensuring support and care as they age.
As this era reshapes our relationships and financial realities, creative housing solutions like these may become the new normal. Americans are realizing that sometimes, the key to achieving your dreams is to pursue them with the people you love by your side.
🗣 Would you consider buying a house with your friends? We’d LOVE to hear from you in the comments section below. ⬇️
