(Or… What No One Wants to Say About the American Dream in 2025)
Let me let you in on a little secret.
While everyone’s busy scrolling open houses on Zillow like it’s Tinder, there’s a quiet shift happening in the real estate world—and no one’s talking about it at brunch.
Ready?
In 2024, more people over the age of 70 bought homes than people under 35.
Yes. You read that right. Grandma is buying the house you wanted… and she’s doing it in cash.
Now, before we spiral into a mid-millennial crisis, let’s take a breath and unpack what’s really going on here.
Thanks to record-high home prices, elevated mortgage rates, and the not-so-fun fact that wages haven’t kept up with the cost of literally anything, the dream of homeownership has been slipping further out of reach for Gen Z and millennials. In fact, according to the National Association of Realtors, the median age of a first-time homebuyer has jumped from 28 in 1991 to 38 in 2024. That’s a full decade later to start building equity. A full decade later to stop paying someone else’s mortgage. A full decade later to start… well, dreaming.
Meanwhile, buyers over 60 are dominating the real estate landscape—making up nearly half of all purchases this year. They’re downsizing, relocating, or buying vacation homes. And while we love a good retirement glow-up, the generational handoff we all expected is hitting… a little delayed.
And here’s the real kicker:
As of this spring, you’d need to make roughly $114,000 a year to afford a median-priced home in the U.S. The average salary? Closer to half of that.
So yes—if you’ve been wondering why buying feels impossible, it’s because… it kind of is. At least for now.
But don’t lose hope just yet.
Markets shift. Rates adjust. And this moment we’re in? It’s part of a much bigger story.
Because while this chapter might belong to downsizing boomers and savvy 70-somethings, the next one will belong to you. Whether you're 32, renting in Summerlin, and dreaming of your first townhome—or 29, living with roommates while saving every last dime for a down payment—it’s not forever.
The homes will pass hands. The market will evolve. And the opportunity will come.
Just don’t let anyone convince you that renting forever is your only option.
Not while I’m still over here pulling comps, chasing builder incentives, and whispering secrets about under-the-radar new construction deals.
Because here’s what no one tells you about the American Dream:
It doesn’t have to happen on someone else’s timeline. It just has to be yours.