Household growth is one of the most direct indicators of housing demand. When you add 357,000 households in 10 years, that's about 357,000 additional housing units that needed to be absorbed by the market, whether it's rental or ownership. That's real demand because these households need a shelter.
They rented for about a year, settling into their respective careers: White is in PR, and Harper works in the flower department at Trader Joe's. They were happy in their rental, but White aimed to become a homeowner as soon as possible. As she looked at available homes in their area, she realized she and Harper could likely afford to buy a home if they pooled their incomes.