Baby Boomers Remain Largest Share of Home Buyers as First-Time Buying Falls to Record Low

Only about one in five buyers were first-time purchasers

Washington, D.C., April 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Baby Boomers remained the largest generational group of home buyers this year, while the share of first-time buyers fell to the lowest level on record, according to the 2026 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends report from the National Association of REALTORS^®.

The report examines the similarities and differences among recent home buyers and sellers across generations¹. Among all home buyers in the past year, the generational breakdown was as follows:

• Gen Z: 4% (up from 3% last year)
• Millennials: 26% (down from 29% last year)
• Gen X: 25% (up from 24% in 2025)
• Baby Boomers: 42% (unchanged from last year)
• Silent Generation: 4% (unchanged from last year)

First-time buyers made up just 21% of all home buyers, down from 24% in the previous survey and the lowest share since NAR began collecting the data in 1981. Among buyers in each generation, the share who were first-time purchasers was:

• Younger Millennials: 60% (down from 71% last year)
• Older Millennials: 33% (down from 36% last year)
• Gen X: 21% (up from 20% last year)
• Younger Boomers: 8% (down from 9% last year)
• Older Boomers: 4% (unchanged from last year)
• Silent Generation: 3% (down from 5% last year)

“The housing market remains sharply divided between homeowners with equity and first-time buyers trying to break in—many of whom are younger Millennials,” said NAR Deputy Chief Economist Dr. Jessica Lautz. “For many younger households, affordability challenges and limited inventory are still making homeownership difficult to achieve.”

Millennials continue to lose market share overall. However, older Millennials are leveraging equity to become move-up buyers. These older Millennials had the highest median household income of any generation at $132,700, bought the largest homes with a median of 2,100 square feet, and were far less likely to be first-time buyers than younger Millennials.

“Older Millennial buyers are now entering middle age, and with that comes a shift,” Lautz said. “This cohort is now the highest-earning generation of home buyers, buys the largest homes and is most likely to have children living with them. Those traits were once more commonly associated with Gen X buyers, who are now increasingly looking toward empty-nesting and retirement.”

Multigenerational homes are declining in overall market share. Across all buyers, 14% purchased a multigenerational home (down from 17% last year), with top reasons including caring for aging parents, cost savings, and adult children moving back home. Among buyers in each generation, the share who purchased a multigenerational home was:

• Younger Millennials: 9% (up from 7% last year)
• Older Millennials: 14% (up from 12% last year)
• Gen X: 19% (down from 21% last year)
• Younger Boomers: 14% (down from 15% last year)
• Older Boomers: 11% (down from 13% last year)
• Silent Generation: 16% (down from 21% last year)

Among Gen Z home buyers, the youngest generation in the market, key findings include:

• 35% of Gen Z buyers were single females—the highest share among all generations

• 17% of Gen Z buyers were unmarried couples—the highest share among all generations

“What stands out about Gen Z is how confidently they’re beginning to define homeownership for themselves,” Lautz said. “They may still be a small share of the market, but they’re already challenging old assumptions about who buys a home and when. For many of these buyers, marriage and children are no longer the defining milestones before a home purchase. The driving force is simply the desire to own a home of their own.”

On the selling side, Baby Boomers also remained dominant, making up 55% of all home sellers. Across all generations, sellers typically stayed in their homes for 11 years before selling, while Younger Millennials sold after five years and Older Boomers typically sold after 15 years.

“Baby Boomers are at a point in life when they have the flexibility to move, often with housing equity to help purchase their next home,” Lautz said. “In earlier years, Baby Boomers—like Millennials today—may have moved because of a job change or the need for a larger home. Today, many Baby Boomers are embracing choice and moving to be closer to friends and family, to downsize, or to retire and enjoy a work-free lifestyle.”

Even as generational patterns differ across the market, buyers and sellers alike continue to rely heavily on real estate agents.

Eighty-eight percent of all buyers purchased their homes through an agent. Buyers continued to show strong confidence in their agents, with 91% saying they would use their real estate agent again or recommend them to others. This was especially strong among Older Boomers (90%) and the Silent Generation (92%).

On the selling side, 91% of sellers worked with an agent, and homes typically sold for a median 99% of the final list price. Among sellers, Older Millennials were the most likely to use an agent at 92%. Younger Millennial sellers were among the strongest performers on price, with 19% selling for 101% to 110% of list price and 11% selling for more than 110% of list price.

Methodology
NAR mailed a 120-question survey to 173,250 recent home buyers in July 2025 using a random sample weighted to be representative of sales across geographic areas. Home buyers had to have purchased a primary residence between July 2024 and June 2025. The survey received 6,103 responses from primary residence buyers. After accounting for undeliverable questionnaires, the survey had an adjusted response rate of 3.5%. Data gathered in the report is based on primary residence home buyers. According to the REALTORS^® Confidence Index, 84% of home buyers purchased as primary residences in 2024, accounting for 4,746,000 homes sold that year (new and existing homes combined). Using that calculation, the sample at the 95% confidence level has a confidence interval of ±1.25%.

¹Survey generational breakdowns:

About the National Association of REALTORS^®
The National Association of REALTORS^® is involved in all aspects of residential and commercial real estate. The term REALTOR^® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS^® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. For free consumer guides about navigating the homebuying and selling transaction processes—from written buyer agreements to negotiating compensation—visit facts.realtor.

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Information about NAR is available at nar.realtor. This and other news releases are posted in the newsroom at nar.realtor/newsroom. Statistical data in this release, as well as other tables and surveys, are posted in the “Research and Statistics” tab.

For further information contact: media@nar.realtor

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