Homeownership Tenure Continues to Grow Nationwide
Due to high mortgage rates and home prices, homeowners are choosing to stay put for longer. According to a recent report from property data provider ATTOM, homeowners who sold their home in Q-3 2025 had owned their home for 8.39 years. This timeframe shot up from 8.13 years in Q-2 2025 and is the longest tenure recorded in the last 25 years.
Why are homeowners choosing to stay put for longer?
There could be several factors influencing homeowners’ choice to stay in their homes, but primarily, ATTOM suggests many homeowners are holding on to their properties because rising mortgage rates make moving less appealing, especially for those who previously locked in low rates. At the same time, limited housing supply and high prices have made it harder to find affordable new homes, discouraging potential sellers from listing their properties.
These states have the highest homeownership tenures
While the average homeowner in Q-3 2025 stayed at their home for just over eight years, some states are seeing much higher homeownership tenures. At 12.91 years, Massachusetts has the highest tenure. Massachusetts’ homeownership tenure also grew by 2% quarter-over-quarter and by 1.1% year-over-year. Connecticut followed closely behind at 12.66 years, a tenure that grew by 0.1% quarter-over-quarter and fell by 4% year-over-year. Similarly, in California, the homeownership tenure grew by 2.5% quarter-over-quarter and by 3.4% year-over-year to 11.2 years.
These states have the highest homeownership turnover
Meanwhile, Maine has the lowest homeownership tenure at just 4.8 years. However, this tenure has grown by 2.9% quarter-over-quarter and by 1.9% year-over-year. Maine was followed by Mississippi. Mississippi’s tenure declined by 1.8% quarter-over-quarter but grew by 5.2% year-over-year to 5.71 years. South Dakota’s tenure followed behind at 5.79 years, up 5% quarter-over-quarter and up 5.8% year-over-year.
What impact does growing homeownership tenure have on the rest of the housing market?
- Weak Homebuyer Demand Causes Surge in Delistings: As homeowners stay in their homes for longer periods of time, both sellers and buyers have become less active.
- Most Baby Boomers Don’t Plan to Sell Their Homes: Baby Boomers are holding onto property at higher rates, leaving prospective buyers with less options. A recent study shows 61% of Boomers never plan to sell their homes, and just 10% say they'll sell in the next five years.