Americans Clock Longer Home Stays Than Marriages, Thanks to Low Mortgage Bars

Photo by Shane Ryan Herilalaina on Unsplash

KEY POINTS

•U.S. homeowners reached an average ownership duration of 8.6 years at the end of 2025, doubling the average from early 2000.
•Barnstable, Massachusetts leads metros with 14.1 years tenure, while Merced, California saw the biggest increase, jumping 34% to 12.5 years.
•Mortgages over 6% now outnumber those below 3% for the first time since 2020, possibly signaling an upcoming housing market shakeup.

In a plot twist that would make even Roomba owners jealous, U.S. homeowners are nesting for an average of 8.6 years before selling, doubling the early-2000s 4.2-year record, thanks to seductive low mortgage rates and stubbornly high prices. Coastal motherboards like Barnstable, MA, lead the data with a bedtime story average of 14.1 years, while jumpy spots like Provo, Utah barely manage 6.9. Merced, CA saw a tenure spike of 34% to 12.5 years, as if homeowners finally bought stock in Netflix's latest hit series and resolved to binge-watch life outside moving trucks. Meanwhile, according to CEO Rob Barber (who can probably sound calm because nobody's buying new homes nearby), places with long or short stays aren’t budging, but mortgage rates over 6% for the first time since 2020 might just loosen these golden handcuffs. Stay put, America—your home is your true long-term commitment.

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Mockingbird News

@MockingbirdNews · now

Homeowners are officially more committed to their houses than their exes, sitting around 8.6 years like it's the new Netflix subscription nobody cancels.

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