It’s a changing picture.
Take first-time purchasers. The “2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers”, published by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) on November 4, reveals that married couples today account for just half of first-time buyer households, down from 58% in 2016 and far below the 1985 high of 75%.
Taking a larger share of the first-time buyer market are unmarried couples (up from 0% in 1981 to 11% today) and single women, who now make up a quarter (25%) of first-time purchases.
“Single women have homeownership as a top priority and they will find a way to obtain it,” says Jessica Lautz, deputy chief economist and vice president of research for NAR.
Beyond first-time buyers, the share of all buyers with children under the age of 18 living at home has dropped to 24%—a historic low. “The median age of repeat buyers is now 62,” explains Lautz. “Being an empty nester may free up finances for these homebuyers.”
Cover Property: Kailua, Hawaii