Overview
- The National Association of Realtors’ survey of July 2024–June 2025 transactions reports a 19% median down payment and an all-cash share averaging 26%.
- Homeowners stayed in their properties an average of 11 years, a record that further tightened the supply available to new entrants.
- NAR estimates that buying at 40 instead of 30 can mean roughly $150,000 less equity on a typical starter home over time.
- Personal savings funded down payments for 59% of first-time buyers, while more than one in five received gifts or loans from relatives or friends.
- The data have intensified voter attention on affordability in recent elections, as policymakers advance proposals centered on boosting housing supply and lowering costs.