As the housing market's economic recovery enters a new stage in 2017, the homeownership rate will bounce back from historical lows and renting will become more affordable, according to a report released Tuesday by Zillow.
Millennials will play a significant role in increasing the homeownership rate, but President-elect Donald Trump's policies could make their purchase more expensive.
"There are pros and cons to both existing homes and new construction, and the choice for home buyers can often be difficult," Zillow's chief economist Svenja Gudell said in a statement.
Here's what Zillow sees ahead for the housing market in 2017:
1. City planners will focus on denser development, with smaller homes close to public transportation and urban centers.
2. More millennials will buy homes, driving up the homeownership rate. In 2016, about half of all buyers entered the market for the first time, and millennials comprised more than half of this group.
And because millennials are also more racially diverse than other age segments, more homeowners will be people of color, reflecting the U.S.'s changing demographics.
4. Rents in 2017 will be more affordable than they have been for the past two years as incomes rise and growth in rents slows. Zillow reported in September that rents in the country's 35 largest metro areas were appreciating at a 1.7% rate, compared with rent appreciation of more than 6% a year earlier.
