Baby Boomers make up the largest share of homebuyers, with many paying for homes in cash.
Baby Boomers now make up the largest share of homebuyers in the housing market. According to the National Association of Realtors’ 2025 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends report, the share of all Baby Boomers in the housing market rose to 42% of all homebuyers in the past year. Comparatively, the Millennial share of homebuyers fell to 29% from 38% one year ago. Buyers in Generation X make up 24% of all buyers, which is unchanged from the previous year.
This could be in part due to the extra cash Boomers have, compared with younger generations. While Baby Boomers were much more likely to use cash to purchase a home, more than 90% of buyers 44 years and younger financed their home purchases.
"In a plot twist, baby boomers have overtaken millennials – the largest U.S. population – to become the top generation of home buyers," said Jessica Lautz, NAR deputy chief economist and vice president of research. "What's striking is that half of older boomers and two out of five younger boomers are purchasing homes entirely with cash, bypassing financing altogether."Read more
