82% of Romanians who are looking for a home believe that the acquisition process is easier as a couple, while 90% are convinced they will find the right property for them, according to the latest survey conducted among Storia and OLX Real Estate users.

Real Estate Decisions as a Couple – Compromises and Financial Planning

For 60% of the study respondents, communication as a couple is considered easy, while for 13%, it is perceived as more difficult. At the same time, 27% state that they neither find it difficult nor easy.

When asked about the difficulty of finding a property that meets the needs of both partners, 43% declare it is easy, 27% say the process is difficult, and 30% consider it neither hard nor easy. Additionally, 27% of respondents who are looking to purchase a home stopped their search at some point because they couldn't reach an agreement.

In a couple relationship, one of the major challenges is setting the budget and finding the right home. Thus, 26% of respondents have difficulty reaching an agreement on the final budget, while 28% encounter difficulties in finding a suitable area for both partners.

Regarding the financial aspect, 61% state they will pay for the home equally, 19% will pay proportionally according to their incomes, while in 20% of cases, the home will be paid for by only one of the partners.

Moreover, 60% will pay for the future home with a bank loan. In 60% of cases, the bank loan is intended to be paid equally, while 25% declare they will pay the loan proportionally according to each partner's income.

However, in 15% of cases, the loan will be paid for by only one of the partners. When it comes to compromises, in 75% of situations, both partners have made concessions, and 51% state they have been equally involved in the search process.

The Home Acquisition Process as a Couple, Subject to Generational Differences

Communication as a couple regarding home acquisition becomes more difficult over time. While for Generation Z (under 27 years old), Y (28-43 years old), and X (44-59 years old), communication is difficult at 11-12%, for the Baby Boomer Generation (over 60 years old), the percentage increases to 26%.

Even after a long period spent as a couple, those over 60 years old face significant difficulties in making decisions together.

According to the survey, 42% of Baby Boomers believe that only one of the partners makes compromises, while 61% declare that only one of them has been more involved in property searching. In contrast, in younger generations, over 70% of the time, partners make compromises equally.

Regarding home payment, partners from Generations X, Y, and Z generally contribute equally, while for a significant proportion of Baby Boomers, payment is exclusively the responsibility of one partner (in 38% of cases).

Thus, younger generations tend to share financial responsibilities equally, unlike Baby Boomers, where it is more common for only one of the partners to pay.

A Large Difference

A significant difference between generations can be observed regarding the preferred type of financing. Most individuals from Generation Z (65%) and Y (67%) indicated they intend to purchase the home with a bank loan.

In contrast, for those from Generation X, the situation is different – only 40% of them plan to access a bank loan. Regarding Baby Boomers, most of them prefer to pay in full without bank financing (83% of cases).

Regarding decision difficulties, 42% of Baby Boomers consider that only one of the partners compromises in the process, while 61% of them declared that only one of the partners actively searches for properties.

Moreover, compared to other generations, those over 60 years old mostly reported they prefer to make decisions alone rather than as a couple (29% of cases).

The analysis was conducted by Storia – the real estate platform launched by OLX, as part of the "Smart Path Home" initiative, aiming to contribute to the transparency of information necessary for all buyers, tenants, owners, agents, and developers, in order to support them in making informed decisions.

The responses were collected through a survey conducted on the Storia and OLX Real Estate platforms, in the period January-February 2024, with a sample of 1,062 respondents. (Photo: Freepik)