{"id":345929,"date":"2026-01-22T13:32:30","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T18:32:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.sothebysrealty.com\/?p=345929"},"modified":"2026-01-22T13:34:51","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T18:34:51","slug":"luxury-lens-who-is-buying-homes-in-the-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/luxury-lens-who-is-buying-homes-in-the-u-s\/","title":{"rendered":"Luxury Lens: Who is Buying Homes in the U.S.?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a changing picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"675\" data-attachment-id=\"345931\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/luxury-lens-who-is-buying-homes-in-the-u-s\/lens\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Lens.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"9000,5930\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Lens\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Lens-1024x675.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Lens-1024x675.jpeg\" alt=\"Homebuyer Demographics\" class=\"wp-image-345931\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Lens-1024x675.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Lens-300x198.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Lens-768x506.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Lens-1536x1012.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Lens-2048x1349.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Lens-1200x791.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Take first-time purchasers. The \u201c2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers\u201d, published by the National Association of REALTORS\u00ae (NAR) on November 4, reveals that married couples today account for just half of first-time buyer households, down from 58% in 2016 and far below the 1985 high of 75%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taking a larger share of the first-time buyer market are unmarried couples (up from 0% in 1981 to 11% today) and single women, who now make up a quarter (25%) of first-time purchases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSingle women have homeownership as a top priority and they will find a way to obtain it,\u201d says Jessica Lautz, deputy chief economist and vice president of research for NAR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond first-time buyers, the share of all buyers with children under the age of 18 living at home has dropped to 24%\u2014a historic low. \u201cThe median age of repeat buyers is now 62,\u201d explains Lautz. \u201cBeing an empty nester may free up finances for these homebuyers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cover Property: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/eng\/sales\/detail\/180-l-601-zf3p3w\/1240-mokulua-drive-lanikai-kailua-hi-96734\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kailua, Hawaii<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"171\" data-attachment-id=\"330410\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/footer-water-generic\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/footer-water-generic.png\" data-orig-size=\"1024,171\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"footer-water-generic\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/footer-water-generic.png\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/footer-water-generic.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-330410\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/footer-water-generic.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/footer-water-generic-300x50.png 300w, https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/footer-water-generic-768x128.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s a changing picture. Take first-time purchasers. The \u201c2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers\u201d, published by the National Association of REALTORS\u00ae (NAR) on November 4, reveals that married couples today account for just half of first-time buyer households, down from 58% in 2016 and far below the 1985 high of 75%. Taking a larger [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":232770370,"featured_media":345935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1403],"tags":[1446],"class_list":["post-345929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-market-insights","tag-hawaii"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kailua.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pf4gbL-1rZv","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":344533,"url":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/luxury-lens-are-overseas-buyers-in-the-market-for-luxury-u-s-homes\/","url_meta":{"origin":345929,"position":0},"title":"Luxury Lens: Are Overseas Buyers in the Market for Luxury U.S. Homes?","author":"Kate Marburger","date":"September 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Are overseas buyers in the market for luxury U.S. homes? In short: yes. Overseas buyers bought homes priced at least US$1M at more than twice the rate of U.S. buyers in the year to March 2025, according to analysis by the\u00a0National Association of REALTORS(NAR). NAR\u2019s\u00a02025 International Transactions in U.S. Residential\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Brand News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Brand News","link":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/category\/brand-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/header-5.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/header-5.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/header-5.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/header-5.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/header-5.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/header-5.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":344127,"url":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/luxury-lens-what-percentage-of-u-s-homebuyers-purchase-at-asking-price\/","url_meta":{"origin":345929,"position":1},"title":"Luxury Lens: What percentage of U.S. homebuyers purchase at asking price?","author":"Kate Marburger","date":"June 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 56% of today's U.S. homebuyers are paying full asking price or more according to newly released research by the National Association of REALTORS\u00ae (NAR) This significant market trend highlights the importance of informed pricing strategies in today\u2019s real estate market. The final sale price of a home can be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Market Insights&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Market Insights","link":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/category\/market-insights\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AdobeStock_517596594.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AdobeStock_517596594.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AdobeStock_517596594.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AdobeStock_517596594.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AdobeStock_517596594.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/AdobeStock_517596594.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":344384,"url":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/luxury-lens-is-the-u-s-a-buyers-or-sellers-market\/","url_meta":{"origin":345929,"position":2},"title":"Luxury Lens: Is the U.S. a Buyer\u2019s or Seller\u2019s Market?","author":"Kate Marburger","date":"August 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Is the U.S. a buyer\u2019s\u00a0or seller\u2019s market? This is the question everyone wants answered. In the U.S., sellers have enjoyed the upper hand for most of the past decade. \u201cWe've been in a seller's market pretty consistently since 2016,\u201d says Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com. But is the market\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Brand News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Brand News","link":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/category\/brand-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/header-8.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/header-8.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/header-8.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/header-8.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/header-8.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/header-8.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":344335,"url":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/luxury-real-estate-headlines-fourth-week-in-july-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":345929,"position":3},"title":"Luxury Real Estate Headlines: Fourth Week in July, 2025","author":"Kate Marburger","date":"July 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Homes in the News Cotswolds, England\u00a0| United Kingdom Sotheby's International Realty Wall Street Journal Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi Sell Their English Country Home Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi have listed their Cotswolds estate in England for $30 million. The 43-acre property features a renovated 18th-century farmhouse, guest\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Brand News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Brand News","link":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/category\/brand-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/UK2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/UK2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/UK2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/UK2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/UK2.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/UK2.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":344850,"url":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/what-premium-can-homes-close-to-top-u-s-schools-command\/","url_meta":{"origin":345929,"position":4},"title":"Luxury Lens: What premium can homes close to top U.S. schools command?","author":"Kate Marburger","date":"October 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"What premium can homes close to top U.S. schools command? Quite a substantial one, it turns out\u2014no less than 135%, when measured nationwide. A recent study by Realtor.com\u00ae, \u201cWhere Families Are Heading: Most Popular School Districts This Moving Season,\u201d published in August 2025, compared median listing prices in the most\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Market Insights&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Market Insights","link":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/category\/market-insights\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/header-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/header-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/header-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/header-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/header-2.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/header-2.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":344579,"url":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/luxury-real-estate-headlines-second-week-in-september-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":345929,"position":5},"title":"Luxury Real Estate Headlines: Second Week in September, 2025","author":"Kate Marburger","date":"September 12, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Homes in the News Dubrovnik, Croatia\u00a0| Croatia Sotheby's International Realty Mansion Global $55 Million Croatian Compound With Three Pools And 25 Bedrooms Lists As The Country's Priciest Home Croatia's most expensive residential listing has emerged with a EUR$55 million compound featuring an extraordinary 25 bedrooms and three swimming pools. This\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Brand News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Brand News","link":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/category\/brand-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0cd1d506-3c4c-4969-bbac-c473e722c831.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0cd1d506-3c4c-4969-bbac-c473e722c831.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0cd1d506-3c4c-4969-bbac-c473e722c831.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0cd1d506-3c4c-4969-bbac-c473e722c831.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0cd1d506-3c4c-4969-bbac-c473e722c831.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/0cd1d506-3c4c-4969-bbac-c473e722c831.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/232770370"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=345929"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345929\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":345934,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/345929\/revisions\/345934"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/345935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=345929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=345929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/extraordinary-living-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=345929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}