But not everyone agrees with the NAR figure. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York used estimates based on credit reports that showed the age of first-time buyers trending lower over time to 36.3 in 2024, down from nearly age 38 in 2000.
Recently, a separate estimate based on U.S. Census Bureau data was released by Redfin, asserting that the typical first-time buyer was 35 last year—down from 36 in 2024, but up from 34 a decade earlier.
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There are varying estimates of how old the typical first-time homebuyer is. alfa27 – stock.adobe.com
The varying estimates highlight the difficulty of precisely pinpointing first-time buyer age, with each of the various methods used in the three studies carrying certain benefits and drawbacks.
“Like a lot of questions that seem simple, the question of who is a first-time homebuyer can get murky,” says Realtor.com® Chief Economist Danielle Hale. “Yes, a family who has never purchased a home before is a first-time homebuyer, but what about the family that owned, then rented for a few years before buying again? In some estimates, this family would be considered a first time homebuyer.”
How each analysis was conducted
