The rising age of first-time homebuyers has dominated discussion of the housing market in recent months—and multiple sources offer varying estimates of how old the typical first-time buyer really is.
Last year, the National Association of Realtors® reported, based on survey data, that the median age of first-time buyers had jumped to 40. That is the highest age on record, and up from age 33 just five years earlier.
That figure has been widely cited by politicians, and is a simple shorthand for capturing the painful affordability struggles that many first-time homebuyers face in the market.
