Homebuyers born between 1981 and 1997 have been as elusive as the Loch Ness monster, and at least as critically studied by a real estate market that needs an influx of young money.

"Instead of representing the 38% to 40% of purchases that real estate industry economists say would have been expected for first-timers, they've lagged behind in market share, sometimes by as much as 10 percentage points," said the L.A. Times.

But is the tide turning? Recent trends may portend an end to the millennial freeze-out.

A Millennial Surge

"Expect the open-house crowds to skew a little younger during this year's spring homebuying season," said Bloomberg Business. "Millennials made up 32 percent of the U.S. housing market in 2014, up from 28 percent two years earlier, and have pulled ahead of the older Generation X as the largest segment of buyers."

The L.A. Times agrees. "Call them the prodigal millennials: Statistical measures and anecdotal reports suggest that young couples and singles in their late 20s and early 30s have begun making a belated entry into the homebuying market, pushed by mortgage rates in the mid-3% range, government efforts to ease credit requirements and deep frustrations at having to pay rising rents without creating equity."