Google the phrase "things millennials killed" and there is no shortage of results, including more than a few references to the generation's impact on the U.S. housing market.

Long beleaguered, the oldest of this age group has now turned 40, and as research from Bank of America indicates, their attitudes about home ownership are changing.

Richard Krisinski, Bank of America market leader, said more millennials than ever before have been solidifying their financial plans as they age, and their employment and relationship statuses stabilize.

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"They have their wish list in priority order, so they know what they can compromise with," Krisinski said. "They have a budget, and then they go so far as to get pre-qualified. That puts them into the best possible position to be able to make the decision that's right for them."

While a recent Bank of America survey did not express a percentage of millennials who sought to buy a home relative to those in other age brackets, their age alone was not a major factor.

In New Jersey, only 29% of respondents said they felt the pressures of adulthood and that they should be buying a home because of how old they are, compared to 34% nationally.

But 55% of millennials in the Garden State feel that the time is now to be putting down roots for their budding families, and 43% specifically said they wanted to start building equity.

"There are considerations that millennials are also looking at to determine is now the right time to buy, and what flexibilities should they consider in making that decision?" Krisinski said.

New Jersey millennials may be less willing to be flexible than the rest of the country, feeling they do not want to borrow money from their parents (21% vs. 29% nationally), build their own homes (26% vs. 36%), increase their budgets (34% vs. 46%), or sacrifice their preferred location (38% vs. 43%).

"They have a financial expectation, and they're willing to make some considerations, but not completely change their target, or increasing their budget, basically holding true to their financial plan," Krisinski said. "There is a patience built into their consideration, and a plan built into their consideration, which has a number of very statistical indicators."

One category in which New Jersey outpaced the U.S. as a whole: delaying the timeline to buy.

More than 6 in 10 (62%) of New Jersey respondents said they would not mind doing this so as to ensure they were making the right choice, against 51% nationwide.

Patrick Lavery is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at patrick.lavery@townsquaremedia.com

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