The Baby Chasers: Will They Reshuffle the Housing Market?

(7/31/25)  When you think about demographic groups that have an impact on the housing market, who comes to mind? Baby boomers? Millennials? Gen Z?

Let me introduce you to the Baby Chasers – folks who base their moves on a desire to be closer to their grandchildren.

While Millennials continue to shape housing demand by seeking out affordability, job opportunities and space for growing families, new data shows that many Baby Chasers are following close behind.

Zonda recently released its annual proprietary Baby Chaser Index, which tracks the overlapping markets that attract both generations: the Millennials and the baby-chasing Boomers. Key results include:

·      Orlando was the top market due to accelerated Millennial growth. The annual growth rate of Millennials in the market nearly tripled year-over-year.

·      Texas remains a dominant state for Baby Chasers. Almost half of the markets in the top 10 were located in the Lone Star State, including Austin, Dallas and Houston.

·      Raleigh cracked the top three, fueled by a sharp uptick in its Boomer migration rate, which nearly doubled year-over-year.

As the Boomer generation continues to age, it’s likely there will be more generational overlap in the future – and that includes not only markets seeing migration by both demographic groups but also a growth in multigenerational housing that serves the needs of both groups.