According to CoinMeta, as mortgage rates in the United States exceed 7%, more and more young people are choosing to invest in stocks rather than buying homes. Over the past decade, the performance of the S&P 500 index has far outpaced the real estate market. Since the end of the boom in COVID in 2022, the housing market has almost come to a standstill, and the Federal Reserve's interest rate hike policy has further exacerbated this trend. Although housing prices rose by 1.5% nationwide in 2026, the S&P 500 index increased by 13%. Economists Ray Fisman and Michael Luca point out that there is a real trade-off between buying a home and investing, especially for those who can easily afford to purchase a house. Currently, potential homebuyers are enjoying a buyer's market, with sellers making concessions in 44.7% of transactions, the highest level since 2020.