JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A major shift in the U.S. housing market is reshaping who owns property and who can afford to buy in.
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For the first time on record, older Americans hold a larger share of real estate wealth than middle-aged buyers, according to a new report from Redfin. The trend comes as younger generations face rising home prices, higher mortgage rates and mounting debt.
When asked how much Jacksonville residents paid for their first home, the answers varied widely. One woman said she paid $250,000 in Atlanta. Another told us she paid $35,000 for three acres and a home in Wilmington, Illinois.
“I think it was like $75,000, it was over here in Avondale in the 80s,” a couple told News4JAX.
“$15,000 in 1960 in Gardena, California,” another woman said.
Americans ages 70 and older now control more than $12.5 trillion in real estate wealth, the report found. Meanwhile, the share held by those ages 40 to 54 has declined or remained flat.
MORE: Home sales surge in March as Northeast Florida inventory expands: NEFAR
Local real estate analyst Jon Brooks, owner of Momentum Realty in Jacksonville, said the shift is especially pronounced in Florida, where retirees make up a significant portion of the population.
“It’s way more concentrated in Florida,” Brooks said. “About 22 to 23% of Floridians are over the age of 62, and most of them own multiple properties.”
The growing dominance of older homeowners is also tied to how long it now takes younger buyers to enter the market.
According to data from the National Association of Realtors, the median age of a first-time homebuyer is now about 40 which is more than a decade older than in previous generations. In the 1970s, the typical first-time buyer was around 28.
Brooks said affordability challenges are a major factor behind the delay.
“Younger generations are completely loaded up with debt,” he said. “They have student loans, credit cards, car loans … they’re really struggling.”
He added that many younger Americans are spending up to 50% of their income on housing costs, far exceeding the traditional guideline of 28%. That leaves less room to save for a down payment or qualify for a mortgage.
“The more that they delay their homeownership, the harder it is for them to build equity down the line,” Brooks said.
The imbalance has allowed Baby Boomers to surpass middle-aged Americans in total real estate holdings for the first time, further widening the generational wealth gap.
But experts say the trend may not last forever.
Brooks points to what economists call the “Great Wealth Transfer,” as millions of older Americans are expected to pass down assets, including real estate, over the next two decades.
“Sadly there’s been a study that came out that showed that 48 million Baby Boomers will be leaving us and passing away over the next 20 years and the majority of them, up to 80% of them own real estate and 15% of them own multiple pieces of real estate,” Brooks said. “That’s going to be a slow drip of more and more real estate that hits the market. That’s going to help affordability over the next two decades for the next generation.”
As inventory gradually increases, analysts say it could ease some of the pressure on home prices, potentially opening the door for younger buyers who have long been priced out of the market.