Providing insights into similarities and differences across generations since 2013, the National Association of REALTORS’ 2025 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report is out. Check out what this year’s report highlights, from the largest group of home buyers to what buyers and sellers look for in a Realtor!
Baby boomers become the largest group of homebuyers.
Older and younger baby boomers now represent the largest share of generational homebuyers at 42%, overtaking millennials, who have fallen to 29%. Gen X follows with 24% of recent home buyers.
Older baby boomers bought homes with cash.
For the Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report, baby boomers were divided into two categories. Younger boomers, ages 60-69, and older boomers, ages 70-78. An interesting trend in this year’s report shows that 51% of older boomers paid for their recent homes in all cash.
Gen X is leading the trend of purchasing multigenerational homes.
A multigenerational home includes more than one adult generation of family members in the same household, such as grandparents, parents and adult children. The report indicated that, overall, 17% of all home buyers purchased a multigenerational home, a 14% increase from the previous year.
However, one generation had the highest percentage of multigenerational home purchases. Gen X leads the charge with 21% choosing to purchase a multigenerational home!
Gen Z had the highest percentage of single females purchasing homes.
Among the leading groups of home buyers are Gen Z individuals, ages 18-25. Although this demographic made up only 3% of buyers and 2% of sellers, they accounted for the largest share of single female home buyers at 30%.
A large percentage of young millennials were first-time buyers.
Younger millennials, aged 26 to 34, represented 12% of home purchases, but this demographic had the highest proportion of first-time buyers at 71%.
Single-family homes remain the most popular.
Detached single-family homes constitute 75% of all home purchases across generations.
The average size of a typical home purchased was about 1,900 square feet.
Another interesting highlight from the 2025 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report is that, on average, the typical size of homes purchased recently was 1,900 square feet, featuring three bedrooms and two bathrooms, and was built in 1994.
Most buyers purchased their homes through a Real Estate Agent or a Realtor®.
According to reports, almost nine out of 10 buyers, or 88%, enlisted the help of a Realtor® to purchase their homes. Younger millennials were the highest percentage to most likely work with an agent at 90%.
Gen X shows strong loyalty, with 91% saying they would use their Realtor again and recommend them to others.
All generations looked for Realtors® with experience.
More specifically, 23% of all buyers heavily considered experience when choosing a real estate agent or Realtor®, with 98% saying “honesty and integrity” were the qualities they considered “most important” in real estate professionals.
Most sellers enlisted the help of a real estate agent to sell their homes.
A whopping 90% of all home sellers opted to work with a Realtor® or real estate agent to sell their homes.
Summary
Whether you are interested in buying or selling—from the silent generation to Gen Z—the local Realtor you are looking for with more than a decade of experience and trusted reviews and referrals is Ryan Roberts. Learn more about Ryan here, and keep reading our blogs to learn more about Auburn-Opelika.