Let these key stats guide your homebuying journey in 2026
When it comes to buying a home, whether you’re a first-time homebuyer or have done it before, knowing what is going on in the market could help you make a more informed decision about your purchase.
Knowledge about current trends in the market will give you a vital snapshot of where mortgage rates are right now, who you’ll be bidding against and an idea of what’s going on in sellers’ minds.
Of course, it’s possible to overload on too much information. The modern housing sector is built on a near-constant flow of statistics and information, almost in real time, which can overwhelm even experienced homebuyers. The solution is simple: Focus on information that matters most.
With that in mind, we will look at information on where the housing market stands, reported on by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) at the end of 2025. We'll discuss who's buying, their relative levels of satisfaction with the homebuying process and much more.
After reviewing these statistics, you will be ready to begin the homebuying process and start your online home loan application.
Who is buying houses?
The term “homebuyer” is a general one that breaks down into a number of sub-groups. Age, family dynamics and marital status can all form separate puzzle pieces that add up to a picture of the homebuying experience.
It's important to note that while many statistics remained in the general neighborhood of what they were for the previous year, the percentage of first-time homebuyers dropped slightly in this report.
- First-time buyers made up 21% of all homebuyers, a drop from 24% last year.
- The typical first-time buyer age was the highest it had been at 40 years old. This was up from 38 in 2024. The typical repeat-buyer age rose to 62 from last year’s 61.
- 14% of homebuyers purchased a multigenerational home to take care of aging parents, because of children over the age of 18 moving back home and for cost-saving.
- 18% of recent homebuyers were Veterans purchasing or living in the home.
Home searches in the digital age
The pandemic created a need for digital tools to replace in-person home shopping. This rise in popularity of digital tools and virtual home walkthroughs continues to have an increasing effect on how potential homebuyers shop for their homes. The ease of being able to qualify a home by street level, price and floor plan all before ever stepping foot in the home cannot be overstated. This has had the effect of raising the bar for the overall homebuying experience.
- 52% of buyers found their homes through an online search, while 27% used a real estate agent and 9% discovered their home through someone they knew.
- Buyers spent 10 weeks searching for a home in 2025, about same amount of time buyers spent searching for a home in 2024.
- 92% of recent buyers were at least somewhat satisfied with their homebuying experiences.
And to match this virtual home shopping experience, we have created digital tools that make financing the home purchase just as simple. You can use our online application to get pre-approved for a loan quickly, and our Same Day Mortgage can shave days off the application process.
The role of real estate agents
Even with the digital assets we mentioned above, the role that real estate agents play in the overall homebuying process remains a foundational one. It's their blend of marketplace IQ, industry expertise and property insight that has shepherded many inexperienced homebuyers to find and acquire the homes of their dreams.
This underscores the importance of working with experts in your area, who know the local housing market.
- 88% of homebuyers in 2025 used a real estate agent or broker when purchasing their homes.
- 76% of all buyers interviewed only one real estate agent during their home search.
- 43% of buyers were referred to their real estate agent through someone they knew, a number that was even higher for first-time buyers at 49%.
To finance or not to finance
While financing remains the most popular option when deciding how to pay for a home, especially among first-time homebuyers, the overall percentage of homebuyers financing their homes dropped by 6% among recent buyers.
- 74% of recent buyers financed their home purchase, the same percentage that financed their home the year before.
- The median down payment amount across all buyers was 19%, while first-time homebuyers made a down payment of 10%, the highest amount for first-time buyers since 1989.
- For 46% of buyers, the source of the down payment came from their savings. 44% of buyers cited using the proceeds from the sale of a primary residence, while 8% of first-time buyers used a gift or loan from friends or family for the down payment.
Obviously, the down payment is a big hurdle for first-time homebuyers. That’s why we offer OneDown, which allows many buyers the option to contribute just 1% of the home’s purchase price as down payment.
Emerging seller trends
No discussion of the housing market would be complete without a look at the emerging habits of sellers.
While sellers maintained a hold on the market during the pandemic and for a short while after it, buyers these days can afford to be more particular in their home search due to the cooling off of property prices in some markets, along with a slight uptick in home inventory and new home construction. Still, much of the buyer/seller power dynamic resides with the seller.
- For sellers, the most commonly cited reasons for selling their homes were the desire to move closer to friends and family (26%), because the home is too small (10%), because the home is too large (10%), or a family/lifestyle change like a marriage, divorce or new baby (8%).
- 91% of home sellers worked with real estate agents to sell their homes.
- For recently sold homes, the final sale price was a median of 99% of the final listing price.
- The time on the market for sellers was up one week from last year, totaling four weeks in 2025.
One of the popular seller concessions is offering a buydown like RateReduce, which lowers the mortgage payments for the buyer. RateReduce offers three types of buydowns: RateReduce Temp*, RateReduce Perm* and RateReduce Sell**. All three are great options for sellers looking to make their homes more marketable.
Marital status and homeownership
The narrative around women and homeownership is an increasingly optimistic one, with single females continuing to gain leverage in their pursuit of owning a home, over double that of single males. As you might guess, married couples make up the majority of new home sales, but we've seen an upward trend in unmarried couples buying homes.
- The share of single women buyers rose to 21%, and single males made up 9% of buyers. For first-time buyers, 25% are single women, while 10% are single men.
- Married couples made up 50% of first-time buyers and 61% of all buyers on the market.
A snapshot in time
So, that's a look at the statistics, which can give you some insight into the current housing marketplace to help you plan and strategize on your own homebuying journey. Of course, no set of stats can account for every economic factor with the potential to reshape market forces. Still, this snapshot of the state of things could prove valuable to you.
A major takeaway from all this is simply that the housing market is still going strong. While some factors have shifted, the statistics overall are remarkably similar to the previous year, which is highly positive news for those looking to finally have the home of their dreams.
If you are ready to begin your homebuying journey, start with an online mortgage application.
Applicant subject to credit and underwriting approval. Not all applicants will be approved for financing. Receipt of application does not represent an approval for financing or interest rate guarantee. Restrictions may apply, contact Guaranteed Rate Affinity for current rates and for more information. All information provided in this publication is for informational and educational purposes only, and in no way is any of the content contained herein to be construed as financial, investment, or legal advice or instruction. Guaranteed Rate Affinity does not guarantee the quality, accuracy, completeness or timelines of the information in this publication. While efforts are made to verify the information provided, the information should not be assumed to be error free. Some information in the publication may have been provided by third parties and has not necessarily been verified by Guaranteed Rate Affinity. Guaranteed Rate Affinity its affiliates and subsidiaries do not assume any liability for the information contained herein, be it direct, indirect, consequential, special, or exemplary, or other damages whatsoever and howsoever caused, arising out of or in connection with the use of this publication or in reliance on the information, including any personal or pecuniary loss, whether the action is in contract, tort (including negligence) or other tortious action. Guaranteed Rate Affinity does not provide tax advice. Please contact your tax adviser for any tax related questions.
Applicant subject to credit and underwriting approval. Not all applicants will be approved for financing. Receipt of application does not represent an approval for financing or interest rate guarantee. Restrictions may apply.
Savings, if any, vary based on the consumer’s credit profile, interest rate availability, and other factors. Contact Guaranteed Rate Affinity for current rates. Restrictions apply.
* Both temporary and permanent RateReduce options are available from participating builders and sellers on select properties.
** Sellers may sign a RateReduce Sell Agreement with Guaranteed Rate Affinity to secure a 60-day rate lock on seller's departing residence by paying an upfront fee (higher fee for high balance loans): rate will be locked for 60 days; giving the seller 30 days to secure a buyer and the buyer 30 days to close the loan. Seller is required to contribute seller-paid points which must be applied towards a permanent rate buy down only. The seller must make a minimum buydown contribution of 2% and could elect up to a 9% buydown contribution subject to applicable state and federal laws, product guidelines, and future product eligibility if changes occur prior to closing. Upfront lock fee may be refundable if the buyer's loan closes. If the lock expires, is cancelled, or if the borrower withdraws and a new borrower is not found within the lock time parameters, then the upfront fee will not be refunded to the seller. Eligible for fixed rate, purchase transactions only. Seller must acquire a binding purchase contract for departing residence. Minimum FICO score and down payment requirements apply. Applicants subject to credit and underwriting approval. Buyer's interest rate may be higher depending on their qualifying information. Additional restrictions apply.
Source: Homebuyers_and_sellers_trend_2025.pdf