40% of homeowners got down payment help in 2026

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1. 40% of homeowners got down payment help in 2026

According to a LendingTree survey, 40% of homeowners received financial assistance when purchasing their current home, up from 35% in 2023. Much of the increase came from Gen Z and millennial buyers.

• 78% of Gen Z homeowners received assistance

• 56% of millennials

• 35% of Gen X

• 12% of baby boomers

What’s surprising is that income doesn’t appear to play a major role. Assistance rates were nearly identical for households earning under $30,000 and those earning more than $100,000. In fact, 43% of homeowners earning less than $30,000 received assistance, compared to 42% of homeowners earning $100,000 or more.

2. Houston City Council approves new apartment inspection rules

The Houston City Council approved an ordinance on Wednesday aimed at cracking down on apartment complexes with ongoing health and safety issues.

The measure creates a registry of “high-risk rental buildings” for properties that receive 10 or more health and safety citations within six months. Property owners who fail to address citations could face daily fines ranging from $500 to $2,000 per violation.

Complexes placed on the list would face ongoing inspections and higher fines for unresolved issues. The ordinance also establishes landlord training programs and an interdepartmental committee, including both tenant and landlord representatives, to oversee the initiative.

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3. Catch up quick

⚠️ NAR sounds alarm over proposed federal housing program cuts. (NAR)

🚨 AG Paxton files third lawsuit tied to ‘EPIC City’ development, alleges open meetings violations. (TexasAG)

📐 Frisco and Sugar Land offer some of the largest rental floor plans nationally. (Rentometer)

🏘️ Home buyers and sellers generational trends. (NAR)

4. New-home sales rose in March

Sales of new single-family homes in March 2026 reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 682,000, according to estimates from the Census Bureau. That’s 7.4% higher than February 2026’s revised rate of 635,000 and 3.3% above March 2025’s level of 660,000.

The seasonally adjusted inventory of new homes for sale at the end of March stood at 481,000. That’s 0.4% below February 2026’s estimate of 483,000 and 4.6% below March 2025’s total of 504,000.

The market remains tilted in buyers’ favor, with 8.5 months of supply, down from 9.2 months a year ago, but still above the roughly 6 months typically considered a balanced market.

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5. Zillow and Realtor team up on pre-market listings

Zillow and Realtor.com have announced a deal to share Zillow Preview listings on Realtor.com beginning this summer, giving pre-market inventory exposure to roughly three-quarters of major portal visitors combined.

The move is a direct response to Compass’s alliance with Rocket-owned Redfin, which has been syndicating off-MLS listings since February. Zillow Preview now includes more than 60 participating brokerages, and both portals say the product will remain free for sellers and agents.

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