First Time Home Buyer at 40: What the Data Says About Waiting — and What to Do Instead

Tamera Nielsen September 17, 2026

If you are a first time home buyer who has been waiting longer than you expected, you are not alone and you are not behind. The National Association of REALTORS® just confirmed what many families already feel: the typical first time home buyer in America is now 40 years old, and first time buyers represent just 21% of all primary residence purchases, the lowest share NAR has recorded since they began tracking it in 1981. Before the Great Recession, that share was nearly 40%. If you have been wondering why homeownership feels harder to reach than it should, the data agrees with you. And if you have been searching for first time home buyer down payment assistance or a more

Searching for Rentals in Raleigh? Read This First.

Tamera Nielsen September 15, 2026

If you’re searching for rentals in Raleigh right now, we completely understand. The Triangle is growing fast, you’ve got decisions to make, and renting feels like the safest, most straightforward path forward. Maybe you’re relocating for work and your current home hasn’t sold yet. Maybe you’re not quite ready to commit to a purchase in a city you’re still getting to know. Maybe you’ve talked to a lender and the timing just isn’t right. Whatever brought you to the rental search, we’re glad you found this article first. Because what we’re about to share could completely change the decision you’re about to make. There’s a path between rentals in Raleigh and buying in Raleigh that most people don’t know exists.

What’s the Catch with Lease to Own Homeownership?

Tamera Nielsen September 10, 2026

If you have been exploring lease to own homeownership and the question forming in your mind is: what is the catch? I want you to know something first. That is exactly the right question to ask. It tells me you are paying attention. And it tells me you deserve a completely honest answer. Not a polished list of benefits designed to make you sign before you think carefully. A real, transparent answer about what lease to own homeownership in Raleigh and across North Carolina actually involves, including the parts that require something from you. That is what this article is going to give you. Because here is what I have learned in eight years of helping families into homeownership: the

Lease to Own Raleigh: Which Program Is Right for Your Situation?

Tamera Nielsen September 8, 2026

If you are searching for lease to own Raleigh options or homes for rent in Raleigh and wondering which path is actually right for your situation, this article should give you clear guidance. Not every family needs the same solution. Not every timeline looks the same. And the difference between the right program and the wrong one can mean the difference between a housing decision that genuinely supports your life and one that complicates it. At Burson Home Advisors, we work with two distinct pathways for families across the Raleigh-Durham Triangle. One is a direct purchase program that gets qualified buyers into a home with as little as 1% down. The other is a lease to own Raleigh homeownership program

25 Million Young Adults Live at Home: How Lease to Own Homes Can Help Bridge the Housing Affordability Gap

Tamera Nielsen September 3, 2026

A record 25.2 million adults under 35 lived with their parents in 2025, according to Realtor.com Economic Research’s June 2026 report, The Crowded Nest: More Adults Are Living With Their Parents. For families searching for lease to own homes, low down payment home buying programs, and realistic paths to homeownership, that number matters. Realtor.com also reported that roughly 70% of adults ages 25 to 34 who live with parents are employed, which means this is not so much a jobs problem. It is a housing affordability gap, a housing access problem, and a sign that working adults need better pathways into independent housing and homeownership. For years, the easy assumption was that young adults living at home were not ready

Finding Their Way Home: Zach & Michelle’s Journey to Their Forever Home

Tamera Nielsen August 18, 2026

Sometimes finding the right home begins long before anyone steps through a front door. For Zach and Michelle, it began with a search online, a little research, a first conversation, and two people who loved one another deeply but weren’t entirely on the same page about what came next. By the time they walked into their forever home for the first time, everything had changed. It Started With Michelle Michelle first came across Tamera online while researching real estate. She did what most thoughtful consumers do before reaching out: she read the reviews. “I came across Tamera on a real estate site and connected fairly quickly. I reviewed some reviews and saw great feedback.” When Michelle scheduled her first consultation

Luxury Rent to Own Charlotte: What $2,500 to $5,500 a Month Can Actually Get You in the Queen City

Tamera Nielsen July 21, 2026

If you are searching for luxury rent to own Charlotte options and assuming that renting is your only path forward during a relocation, a career move, or a life transition, this article is going to change how you think about your next housing decision. Rent to own Charlotte is no longer a niche solution for buyers rebuilding their financial profile. It has become one of the most strategically intelligent moves available to relocating professionals in the Queen City who have a home to sell, a new chapter to begin, and a lifestyle that deserves more than a landlord’s rental inventory. You have options. Remarkable ones. What if the monthly payment you were about to hand to a landlord could instead

Luxury Rent to Own Raleigh: What $2,500 to $5,500 a Month Can Actually Get You in the Triangle

Tamera Nielsen July 16, 2026

If you are searching for luxury rent to own Raleigh options and wondering whether a home at your price point is even possible, the answer is going to surprise you. Rent to own Raleigh is no longer just a solution for buyers rebuilding credit or stretching their budget. It has become one of the smartest financial strategies available to relocating professionals in the Triangle who have a home to sell, a career move to make, and no interest in throwing money at a rental while they wait. You assumed renting in Raleigh was your only option. It is not. What if the same monthly payment you were about to hand to a landlord could instead put you inside a $500,000

Lease to Own After Divorce—Financially Sound Pathway

Tamera Nielsen July 14, 2026

Lease to own after divorce is one of the most searched and least answered questions in real estate today. If you are navigating life after a marriage ends and wondering whether homeownership is still possible for you, the answer is yes. And for many families across Raleigh, Greensboro, and Charlotte, lease to own after divorce has become not just a path forward, but the beginning of something financially sound. We want to talk to you about this lease to own Raleigh homeownership pathway after divorce. But first, we want to say something more important. Divorce is one of the hardest things a human being can walk through. The financial disruption, the emotional weight, the responsibility of rebuilding while still grieving

Lease to Own for Self Employed Buyers

Tamera Nielsen June 30, 2026

If you are a self employed buyer and searching for a lease to own home, you have probably already discovered that the traditional mortgage world was not designed with you in mind. Lease to own for self employed buyers are becoming one of the most powerful and financially sound solutions for self employed buyers who are ready to stop renting and start building real wealth. In Raleigh and across North Carolina, more entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small business owners are turning to lease to own Raleigh programs not as a backup plan, but as a smarter strategy. And we understand why, more personally than most. At Burson Home Advisors, we purchased our own home through a lease to own homeownership program.

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