While the often-cited figure of a 70-year-old average homebuyer may exaggerate the reality, the data do confirm a clear trend: the homebuying population is getting older.
What the Numbers Show
- The median age of all homebuyers has climbed from 31 in 1981 to 49 in 2023.
- By 2024, the median age rose further—especially among repeat buyers, reaching 61, while first-time buyers averaged 38 years old, up from 35 in 2023.
- Other sources put the median age of homebuyers at 56 in 2024.
- In markets like San Francisco, buyers under 35 dropped to just 28% of purchasers (2021–2023), signaling a declining presence of younger, first-time buyers.
Why the 70-Year-Old Statistic Circulates
- Some reports claim there are now more buyers over age 70 than under 35, based on REALTOR® data.
- While the “average age is 70” may be exaggerated, the trend toward much older buyers is unmistakable.
Why Buyers Are Getting Older
1. Affordability Squeezes Younger Buyers
Sky-high home prices, elevated mortgage rates, and tight lending standards are forcing many younger adults to delay or forgo homeownership. Meanwhile, older buyers—often flush with equity or cash—are better poised to negotiate purchases or buy outright
2. Delayed Milestones Among Younger Generations
Millennials and Gen Z are buying later in life. The median age of first-time buyers jumped from 28 in 1991 to 38 in 2024, reflecting longer periods of schooling, debt burdens, and delayed marriage or family-building.
3. Boomers Holding and Trading Homes
Many baby boomers are staying in their homes longer or moving into smaller retirement options as repeat buyers, further increasing the overall age of homebuyers.
4. Family Help Becomes Crucial—”Nepo-Buyers” Emerge
Younger buyers are increasingly relying on family support—gifts, loans, or co-signers—to afford down payments. Around 38% of buyers under 30 used inherited or gifted funds in 2025. In 2024, 26% of younger buyers received family cash for down payments—up from 18% in 2019.
Implications for Younger Generations
A Growing Wealth Gap
Homeownership is the cornerstone of wealth-building in the U.S. If younger generations are unable to buy homes, the wealth divide between generations may widen dramatically.
Delayed Life Milestones & Shifting Demographics
Younger adults may postpone marriage, child-rearing, or move in with family. Indeed, multigenerational living is on the rise; wellbeing and future housing plans may reshape.
Future Market Instability
An aging homebuyer base may eventually precipitate a wave of retiree downsizing—but only if housing supply and affordability improve. Without such shifts, market imbalances persist.
Political and Policy Pressure Grow
As younger buyers struggle to enter the market, demands for first-time buyer assistance, mortgage relief, affordable housing, and zoning reform are expected to intensify.
Final Thoughts
The narrative that the average homebuyer is 70 might be overstated—but data clearly show America’s housing market is aging. Younger generations face unprecedented challenges, from soaring prices to delayed homeownership.
For many, the American dream of purchasing a home is not a step in their life plan—it’s a generational privilege still out of reach.
Please note: Any opinions discussed in this article belong solely to the author, Marissa Berends, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Capitol Lien.
About the Author
Marissa Berends is a Certified Abstractor and Industry Relations Coordinator at Capitol Lien, a nationwide due diligence and risk mitigation services provider. Since joining the company in September 2021, she has earned abstractor certifications in Minnesota, Nebraska, and North Dakota. She is pursuing her Wisconsin Title Examiner certification, which is expected to be completed in Fall 2025.
Marissa is involved with the following groups: Wisconsin Land Title Association’s (WLTA) Convention Committee & Young Title Professionals; Nebraska Land Title Association’s (NLTA) Convention Committee; Property Record Industry Association (PRIA) National Education Committee; Illinois Land Title Association’s (ILTA) Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Acceptance (IDEA) Committee; and the National Association of Land Title Examiners and Abstractors (NALTEA).
About Capitol Lien
Capitol Lien empowers real estate and title professionals with trusted public record research and due diligence services nationwide. With 35 years of experience, Capitol Lien specializes in fast, accurate property and title searches, lien reports, and document retrieval that help title agents, underwriters, and legal teams operate their businesses with confidence. The Capitol Lien team takes the hassle out of title research with local experts and innovative tools that make it easier to mitigate risk, stay on schedule, and keep your closings moving smoothly.
Learn more at capitollien.com. Ready to simplify your title research? Send your next order to Capitol Lien and experience the difference trusted diligence makes. Stay in touch with Capitol Lien on LinkedIn for industry updates and information. Reach out! contact@capitollien.com or 800-845-4077.
Sources:
Axios: America’s first-time and repeat homeowners are getting older; Banking on Daddy
National Association of Realtors: Highlights From the Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers; Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends
ResiClub: Median first-time homebuyer age jumps from 28 in 1991 to 38 in 2024
This Old House: Homeownership Statistics (2025)
Apollo Academy: Median Age of Homebuyers: 56
San Francisco Chronicle: This demographic is buying far fewer homes in S.F.
The Wall Street Journal: Boomers Buying Houses Had It Bad in the ‘80s. Millennials Have It Worse.
The Guardian: Why is the number of first-time US homebuyers a generational low?
The New York Post: ‘Nepo-buyers’ are America’s new class of homeowners, thanks to parents