Realtor.com Unveils HomeGrown Campaign as Down Payment Savings Soar to 9.7 Years
Households buying their first home by age 30 achieve 22.5% higher net worth by age 50—an average $119,000 gain versus those who wait until their 40s. The median age of first-time buyers climbed from 30 in 1990 to 40 in 2025 as price-to-income ratios rose from 3.11 to 4.9 and down payment timelines stretched from 3.2 to 9.7 years.
1. Generational Wealth Benefits of Early Homeownership
Households purchasing by age 30 realize 22.5% greater net worth by age 50—about $119,000 more on a $530,000 sample mean—compared with buyers entering in their mid-to-late 40s, reflecting extended benefits from appreciation and mortgage amortization.
2. Affordability Gap Widening Over Decades
Median home prices jumped from $96,800 in 1990 to $418,000 in 2025 while median incomes rose from $31,000 to $85,000, driving price-to-income ratios from 3.11 to 4.9 and extending the typical down payment savings period from 3.2 years to 9.7 years.
3. Launch of the HomeGrown Advocacy Campaign
Realtor.com introduced the HomeGrown campaign at SXSW to address a national shortage of 4 million homes and a homeownership rate that has fallen to 65.7%, aiming to spur policy changes that shorten deposit timelines and preserve generational wealth pathways.
4. Intergenerational Momentum and Equity Disparities
Children raised in homeowner households are 18.4 percentage points more likely to own by age 35, and an inheritance of at least $5,000 boosts first-time buyer odds by 2.5 times, yet homeownership rates vary sharply by race: 75.1% for White, 44.2% for Black and 48.7% for Hispanic households.