The 2026 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report delivers 111 pages of original NAR research examining how seven generational cohorts — from Gen Z to the Silent Generation — buy and sell homes differently.

Published annually since 2013, this report draws from NAR's Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers to provide the real estate industry's most comprehensive generational benchmark.

This year's data reveals meaningful shifts in who's buying, how they're financing, and what they expect from real estate professionals. First-time buyers dropped to just 21% of all purchases — the lowest share since NAR began tracking in 1981. Baby Boomers now command 42% of all buyer activity, while Younger Millennials carry a median student debt burden of $30,000 and are turning to family gifts and loans more than any other generation. Nearly one in five Gen X buyers purchased a multigenerational home. And across every generation, 88% of buyers still purchased through an agent — with 91% saying they'd use that agent again.

Whether you're prospecting first-time Millennial buyers navigating down payment hurdles, marketing to Boomers relocating closer to family, or advising Gen X families on multigenerational options, this report gives you the generational data to sharpen your messaging, adjust your services, and meet clients where they are.

What's inside:

• Buyer & seller demographics — income, household composition, education, diversity, and motivations by generation
• Homes purchased — property type, size, distance moved, new vs. previously owned, and senior-related housing trends
• The home search — first steps taken, search length, technology usage, and website features buyers value most
• Working with agents — what each generation wants most from their real estate professional, how they find an agent, and satisfaction levels
• Financing — down payment sources, debt loads, loan types, and how each generation views homeownership as an investment
• The selling experience — why sellers sell, tenure before selling, pricing adjustments, and buyer incentive trends
• Sellers & agents — how sellers across generations choose, use, and evaluate their real estate professional