ORLANDO, Fla. – Call it a “Dream Home Detour.”

According to a 2024 housing analysis by Redfin , empty nest baby boomers own almost twice as many three-bedroom homes as millennials with children: 28.2% versus 14.2%. That imbalance is reshaping Central Florida’s housing market in ways that are frustrating buyers across generations.

Older homeowners often say they want to downsize, but with mortgage rates hovering above 6%, selling a longtime home and starting over can be costly. Those financial hurdles make many boomers pause when considering downsizing.

“They’re thinking, ‘I’m going to start all over again, get into another 30-year mortgage or 15-year,’ whatever the case may be,” said Lawrence Bolido, president of the Orlando Regional Realtor Association . “It may not fit in the

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