Overview
- Redfin reports Americans 70 and older now hold about 26% of the nation’s $48 trillion in real estate wealth, matching the share of 40–54 year-olds for the first time in 2025, while 55–69 year-olds hold the largest slice at 35.3%.
- Freddie Mac data shows the 30-year fixed rate has eased to roughly 6.11% after topping 7% last year, and Redfin forecasts rates in the low‑6% range with income growth potentially outpacing home-price gains in 2026, though the Iran war adds uncertainty.
- Realtor.com finds early buyers benefit from more years of equity build and price appreciation, and children raised in owner households are 18.4 percentage points more likely to own by age 35.
- Affordability remains strained in the U.S., with a median home price around $418,000—nearly five times median household income—and the median age of first‑time buyers rising to a record 40, according to NAR.
- Skipton Group data shows the average first‑time buyer age in the U.K. has reached 34, with 52% relying on at least two incomes, roughly one‑third receiving parental help, and more than half on mortgages of 30 years or longer.