Veterans United Survey: Homebuyers are Ready to Buy and Veterans are Leading the Way

Prospective homebuyers are entering the second half of 2026 more financially confident and ready to act, according to the Q2 2026 State of Mind Survey from Veterans United Home Loans. Among all prospective buyers, 73% plan to purchase within the next year and 62% say buying a home feels within reach.

Veterans and service members aren't sitting on the sidelines waiting for the market to change. They're moving, and they're doing so faster and with more financial confidence compared to their civilian counterparts.

According to the survey, financial stress among military-affiliated homebuyers dropped to 19% this quarter, down 8 percentage points from Q1 and the sharpest single-quarter improvement in the survey's three-year history.

That confidence is translating into action: Purchase timelines are accelerating, and more Veterans say they'd rather buy now and refinance later than wait for conditions that may never come.

Here's a look at what's driving the shift.

Veterans' Financial Confidence Reaches a New High

Homebuyers are feeling better about their finances heading into the second half of 2026. Prospective buyers who feel stressed about their finances fell to 26%, while 49% say they feel at ease. Future optimism also held firm, with 65% of buyers expecting to be personally better off a year from now.

But within that broader picture, Veterans and service members stand out. While civilian homebuyers reported a rise in financial stress this quarter, Veterans moved in the opposite direction. Veteran stress fell 8 points to just 19% while civilian stress climbed 8 points to 38%, a 16-point swing between the two groups in a single quarter.

At the same time, 54% of Veterans say they feel at ease with their finances, pushing the overall Personal Financial Outlook Score to 47, near the highest reading in the survey's three-year history.

Veterans are Moving Forward Faster

Among prospective homebuyers, 73% plan to purchase within the next year and 62% say buying a home feels within reach. Nearly half (47%) say they would rather buy now and refinance later than wait for conditions to improve.

Veterans and service members are moving on a faster timeline than their civilian counterparts. The Veterans United Homebuyer Timeframe Score hit 72 in Q2 2026, up from 69 in Q1 2026. That's the highest score since the survey started tracking in 2023, and a notable climb from a low of 64 back in Q2 2023. The score measures how many prospective buyers intend to purchase, and how soon.

So why are Veterans moving faster? Partly because they're not counting on the market to improve.

Rather than holding out for the perfect market window, more buyers are making their move on a timeline that works for them. That's the thinking behind the "buy now, refi later" mindset, and it's catching on.

Nearly half of Veterans and service members say they'd rather buy now and refinance when rates drop than hold off on homeownership. For many Veterans, the VA Streamline refinance can make that later step easier when the time comes.

The urgency is clear in the data. About 43% of Veteran homebuyers plan to purchase within the next six months, compared to 22% of civilian buyers. Overall, 73% of prospective homebuyers expect to buy within the next year.

AI is Now a Standard Part of the Homebuying Process

Nearly half of all prospective buyers, 45%, are now using AI to help with their homebuying. That's up from 40% in Q1 2026. Four quarters of consistent growth.

Buyers are using it in two distinct ways. Most reach for AI to do research: checking property values (41%), learning about housing trends (36%) and searching for homes by specific criteria (32%).

Veterans and service members are also using AI to get financially prepared at higher rates than civilians. More than half (52%) use it for savings planning and 38% for credit improvement guidance.

ChatGPT and Gemini are the most commonly used tools for general homebuying questions. And all buyers are clear-eyed about AI's limits: 77% agree it should be a supporting tool, not the primary decision-maker.

While affordability and market conditions continue to shape the homebuying landscape, the latest State of Mind Survey points to growing optimism among prospective buyers. As buyers adapt, prepare financially and embrace new tools, more appear confident that homeownership is within reach.

Survey Methodology

The Veterans United State of Mind Q2 2026 survey was conducted June 1 to 17, 2026 by Sparketing, among 859 prospective homebuyers, including Veterans and active duty service members, reservists and National Guard members and civilians. The survey is fielded quarterly to track homebuyer readiness, financial confidence and the tools buyers use in the homebuying process. Comparisons to Q1 2026 reference data collected in March 2026. Year-over-year comparisons reference Q2 2025 data from the same survey series.