Staying Home: Why Homeowners Aren't Moving

The median tenure of buyers staying in their homes is up to 10 years in 2016 and 2017 from a median of six years going back to 1985.

In the National Association of Realtors' annual Profile of Homebuyers and Sellers, 18 percent of respondents expected to stay in their homes for 15 years, up from 9 years in 2006. MarketWatch reports that contributing factors include many homeowners losing equity in their homes, and that available housing inventory is limited.

It's also due to tighter mortgage underwriting standards, and what Moody’s Analytics Chief Economist Mark Zandi calls “a broader decline in mobility” throughout the economy. The less-flexible housing market is sparking a home-improvement renaissance, but as older folks stay longer, it’s making it harder for people at all levels of the housing market to move up.

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