NAR Real Estate

Baby Boomers Remain Largest Share of Home Buyers as First-Time Buying Falls to Record Low

NAR's 2026 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends report, based on a survey of 6,103 recent home buyers conducted July 2025, finds Baby Boomers represent 42% of all home buyers (unchanged) while first-time buyers fell to just 21% of all purchases, the lowest share since NAR began collecting data in 1981. Younger Millennials saw the steepest decline in first-time buying, dropping from 71% to 60%. The report covers home purchases between July 2024 and June 2025 across all generations from Gen Z (4% of buyers) through the Silent Generation (4%).

NAR Pending Home Sales Report Shows 1.5% Increase in March

The National Association of REALTORS® released its March 2026 Pending Home Sales report showing a 1.5% month-over-month increase and a 1.1% year-over-year decrease in pending home sales. Regional results varied, with the South (+3.9% MoM, +2.3% YoY) and Northeast (+4.4% MoM) posting gains while the Midwest and West declined. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun noted that contract signings rose despite higher mortgage rates, pointing to pent-up housing demand. Kansas City, MO-KS led all metros with a 14.9% year-over-year gain.

First Quarterly Update, 2026–2028 Strategic Plan Released

NAR released its first quarterly update on the 2026–2028 Strategic Plan on April 21, 2026, reporting that two-thirds of the plan's projects were initiated in Q1. Early successes centered on affordable housing, the REALTOR® brand, and broker relationships. Q2 priorities include enhancing education platforms, advancing advocacy efforts, and deepening collaboration with state and local associations and MLS partners.