Adults ages 61 to 79 continue to dominate the housing market, making up the largest group of home buyers and sellers, according to the National Association of Realtors®’ newly released 2026 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends report.
Last year, baby boomers overtook millennials – the largest U.S. population – to become the biggest force of home buyers and sellers, proving to be a powerful backbone to the housing market. Their soaring home equity from decades of ownership may be freeing them to be more agile than other age groups who are struggling to afford higher home prices.
Baby boomers accounted for 42% of buyers and 55% of all home sellers – the highest of any other age group, according to NAR’s 2026 report.
Source: Florida REALTORS
The breakdown of home buyers, according to NAR’s 2026
Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends report:
Mortgage Rates
Continue to Decline
Mortgage rates declined this week to a four-week low of 6.30%. Compared to one year ago when rates were at 6.83%, this is a meaningful improvement for homebuyers during what is typically the busy spring homebuying season.
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.30% as of April 16, 2026, down from last week when it averaged 6.37%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.83%.
The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.65%, down from last week when it averaged 5.74%. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 6.03%.
