5 Keys to First-Time Buyers

In 2016, first-timers accounted for 46 percent of all homebuyers in the U.S., according to a new study from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York that analyzes first-time buyer traits and behaviors over time.

The study offers five key takeaways, finding that first-time buyers are getting younger every year. The average first-time buyer was 35.4 years old in 2016, versus 37.9 years old in 2000. First-timers also have smaller student loan balances than do repeat buyers. In 2016, the conditional average student loan debt for repeat buyers was $42,000, while first-timers averaged $29,000, HousingWire reports.

Earlier this week, we established that first-time homebuyers are not, in fact, being shut out of the housing market as some had feared, thanks to a recent study by the NY Fed.

Rather, their share of market participation has remained stable over time, rising and falling slightly over the last 17 years in response to market conditions, but averaging about 45 percent of the overall market.

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