Americans Think This Age Milestone Is The Best Time To Buy A House

Buying a home has long been considered an important milestone and key to building wealth, but the right time to do so is up for debate. According to a 2025 Pew Research Center poll that asked 3,600 Americans their thoughts on the matter, the "best" age to make this significant purchase is between the ages of 25 and 34, or specifically, 28.8 years old.

The study did not group respondents by their own ages, but reality suggests this ideal age belief may be grounded more in misconceptions than reality. That's because the real average age of first-time home buyers reached an all-time high of 40 in 2025, according to the National Association of Realtors' annual report. Another report from Apollo Global Management shows that the median age of homebuyers in general spiked up to 56 in 2024, up from 45 in 2021. The rise looks even more dramatic when compared to 1981, when the average age of buyers was just 31 years old — unsurprising though, given that baby boomers are a statistically very wealthy generation.

Now, this might lead one to believe that homebuyers were in their 20s prior to this, a New York Times article from 1960 stated that federal housing data showed the average new homebuyer age then to be 33, an actual decrease from 36.3 in 1939. But with the mid-20th Century appearing to have been its own unique golden era for homeownership, this may have distorted views today on when the right age to purchase actually is.

It's worth noting that in the Pew Research poll 50% of respondents actually said there was no best age to purchase a home. They may be on to something. There are a lot of things first-time buyers get wrong about buying a house, and right up there is not saving up for more than just a down payment or underestimating the true costs of a home in general. While listing prices vary extremely across the U.S., Federal Reserve data shows the median sales price in December 2025 was $414,400, while Rocket Mortgage pins the average mortgage in 2025 at $2,329. Ideally, your total monthly home costs should not exceed more than 30% of your income, so it's crucial to plan for this before buying (consider utilities, upkeep, and property taxes as well), regardless of your age.

But back to polls for insights: a 2025 Coldwell Banker poll of 3,068 adults revealed that the majority still consider homeownership an important milestone, and 63% of those who haven't already bought a home hoped to do so within the next five years. Meanwhile, Federal Reserve data also shows housing prices have been slightly decreasing since reaching an all-time high in 2022. So, the good news is that there may be some hope on the horizon for homes becoming more affordable, even if the actual age people are buying them isn't what many Americans consider to be the ideal one.