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(InvestigateTV) — A recent Bankrate study found that 42% of millennials have purchased a home by themselves, bucking the tradition of purchasing with a significant other or spouse.

Bankrate Analyst Alex Gailey said millennials are buying homes in other ways too.

“Buying a home with a friend or relative other than domestic partners spouse does continue to be less common on the whole,” Gailey said. “But 10% of millennials have purchased a home with a friend, and that is significantly higher than Gen Xers and baby boomers, which are both below 5%. So, it’s interesting to sort of I think this is something that’s emerging. I think it’s a trend that’s kind of just getting started.”

Gailey believed that many millennials are either choosing not to marry or delaying marriages but still want to become a homeowner.

“Over 70% of millennials told us that owning a home is still a key part of the ‘American Dream,’ which just means that they’re going about it a little differently,” Gailey commented.

She said she knows affordability is a problem right now, so she suggested finding ways to save to build up funds for a down payment.

“You want to have three to six months’ worth of expenses saved in an emergency fund,” she advised. “You want to have as little to no debt as possible when you’re going into home ownership.”

Gailey also suggested that people take advantage of down payment assistance programs, specifically for first time homebuyers.

“So, every state has a down payment assistance program,” she noted. “Many local governments do as well, and these are really programs that allow you to put less down for that home and be able to essentially enter home ownership a little easier than maybe. You previously would have if you had to put 20% down or even 15% down.”

Gailey said regardless if you have a significant other or not, look at ways to save money and find programs out there to get one step closer to obtaining the keys to a dream home.