Helped along by high prices, baby boomers have returne🐼d to 🌳the top of the housing market, as a new report shows that home affordability issues are beginning to reverse generational trends.

The baby boom generation led in both buying and selling of homes recently as 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:more expensive housing prices have pushed 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:homebuyer ages up. Baby boomers, those aged 60-78, overtook millennials aged 26-44 as the largest share of buyers and sellers in the National Association of Realtors’ 2025 report on generational buying trends.

"In a plot twist, baby boomers have overtaken 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:millennials—the largest U.S. population—to become the top generation of home buyers," said Jessica Lautz, NAR deputy chief economist and𒈔 vice president of research. 

Baby boomers now make up 42% of homebuyers, while millennials fell nine percentage points from last year’s data to make up 29% of homebuyers. The 45-to-59-year-old 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Generation X buyers remained at 24% in the NAR report. Baby boomers also comprised the largest 🦋share of sellers, at 53%.

The report is the latest in a series of data demonstrating the strains on affordability in the U.S. housing market. Buyers are getting older as housing and borrowing costs rise and 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:fewer first-time homebuyers enter the market. 

Baby Boomers Pay Cash, While Others Finance

Baby boomers aren’t just buying more homes, they’re also relying less on financing as 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:mortgage rates 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:remain elevated above 6.5%. 

"What's striking is that half of older boomers and 2 out of 5 younger boomers are purchasing homes entirely with cash, bypassing financing altogether," Lautz said. 

That’s compared with the more than 90% of buyers 44 years and younger who financed their home purchase. Older generations generally use the proceeds of previous home sales to fund purchases, while younger generations rely on savings or 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:family gifts. 

"This shift reflects the increasing role of equity in enabling repeat purchases, especially among older generations, while younger buyers continue to face 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:affordability challenges,” Lautz said.

Gen X Buying Multigenerational Homes as Gen Z Gets into Hꦺousinꦕg Market

Geℱn X makes up the larg𒐪est portion of home buyers housing more than one generation, the report showed.

“While Gen X are purchasing at the highest household incomes, they may still feel the squeeze as they aim to find a home that serves everyone,” Lautz said.  They may be attempting to accommodate aging relatives and children ov🍸er the age of 18, the NAR economist said.🅺 

Meanwhile, with an age range from 18 to 25, Gen Z is slowly entering the housing market, making up 3% of buyers and 2% of sellers. But at 30%, Gen Z had the highest share of purchases by single women. As with millennials, Gen Z will likely tend to buy older houses, the report showed.