Millennials are growing up, settling down and looking to buy a house — for the extra room and the investment opportunity.

Millennials were the largest group of home buyers (34 percent) for the fourth consecutive year, according to NAR’s 2017 Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends study. By comparison, baby boomers were 30 percent of buyers.

“That myth that millennials don’t want to own things is not true,” said Jeremy Wacksman, chief marketing officer at the Zillow Group. “Millennials are not just starting to buy homes; they’re powering the housing market.”

Homes are seen for sale in the northwest area of Portland
Homes are seen for sale in the northwest area of Portland, Oregon. REUTERS/Steve Dipaola

After five years of living together in a one-bedroom apartment, Jamil Saeed and Felicity Greenpalm are ready to take the next step and buy a house in Seattle.

Saeed, a 29 year old marketing consultant, and Greenpalm, 31, who works for Nordstrom, are thinking about starting a family and that means they need more space.

“We want a yard and a place where we can have all of our friends and family over,” Saeed told NBC News. “I feel like if we don’t do something soon, we’re going to get priced out of the market. Salaries aren’t increasing quickly enough to keep up with the pace that home prices are growing. It’s kind of now or never for us.”

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