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Buyers who purchase their first home by age 30 have a 22.5% higher net worth by age 50 compared with those who wait until their 40s — a difference averaging about $119,000, according to Realtor.com data.

Yet for younger buyers, entering the housing market has become far more difficult. The median age of a first-time homebuyer has climbed from 30 in 1990 to 40 in 2025 as home prices have outpaced income growth, the report said. Although there is industry debate about whether 40 years old is the true median age of first-time homebuyers, as many think it is lower.

That shift is reshaping how agents communicate the value of homeownership — particularly when trying to reach younger consumers navigating affordability concerns and skepticism about the housing market.

Towanna Peterson-Jackson, co-team lead at Detroit-based Team Peterson Jackson Brokered by eXp Realty, said her team focuses on reinforcing the idea that younger buyers can still enter the market — even amid rising hurdles.

“We’ve always had affordability at the forefront of our marketing because of the area that we service primarily, which is metro Detroit,” she told HousingWire. “It’s more of an urban epicenter. So when we advertise, when we market, when we talk to our consumers, we always want to lead with the value of, ‘You can do it and you can find the help to do it.’”

Programs that reduce the upfront barrier to entry — such as FHA loans, VA loans and down payment assistance — often become central to that message, Peterson-Jackson added.

Agents also increasingly emphasize the financial cost of delaying homeownership cited by Realtor.com.

“When you’re waiting, you do lose wealth essentially because that’s equity that you’re not getting,” said Team Peterson Jackson co-team lead LaShawn Peterson-Jackson. “If you wait until you’re 40, you’re losing equity, and you’re losing time, because now you’re 40 and most homes take 30 years to pay off, so you’ll be 70 if you decide to pay it off.”

Positioning homeownership as one piece of wealth building

Marketing to younger generations often requires acknowledging that many consumers see multiple pathways to financial success — from entrepreneurship to investing to digital careers, the team leaders added.

Towanna said her team positions homeownership as one component of a broader financial strategy.

“The home you’re going to use is just one of the things that are going to help you build wealth in life,” she said. “I stick to that because, with the younger generation, there are so many other ways to do it. We talk about being an influencer. You can get money by saving and looking into an insurance option. We just try to package it as, ‘This is just one piece of the puzzle.’”

Stability is another part of the message, said LaShawn.

“During those months when you’re stable and you’re not having to worry about housing, you can concentrate on other ways to build wealth,” she said. “I look back on my own journey and how stability was there for me and my children. I could just worry about my career and getting them all the things that they need.

“I wasn’t constantly worried about where we were going to live or if the landlord was going to renew my lease, or if my lease was going to go up.”

Education and community outreach

Agents are also leaning more heavily on education and community outreach to reach potential first-time buyers — particularly in communities where homeownership has historically been less common.

The generational wealth report found that housing wealth often carries across generations. Children raised in homeowner households are 18.4 percentage points more likely to become homeowners themselves by age 35.

But that advantage is unevenly distributed.

In 2025, the homeownership rate stood at 75.1% for white households compared with 44.2% for Black households and 48.7% for Hispanic households.

LaShawn said community workshops are one way her firm helps close those gaps.

“We sold a house to a lady a few years ago and her mom rented the same house since 1984,” she said. “She was the first person in her family of memory to own a home, and we were able to reach her through a homebuying workshop.

“We do these workshops all over the city at all times, letting people know how to purchase a home. We’re in churches. We’re in community centers. We have them here in our office. Whether two people show up or 200, we want to give them the best guidance.”

Education also extends to digital platforms, where younger buyers increasingly search for housing information.

“We’re on social media. We talk about it constantly on social media, and we have trained our team of agents to do the same thing and deliver the same message.”

Changing perceptions, addressing fears

Beyond affordability challenges, agents say younger buyers often carry concerns shaped by modern housing and economic crises.

“We’re also often dealing with the children of the (2008) crash, LaShawn said. “It was very prevalent in our area. For people whose families lost their home, they’re coming of age, and a lot of them are afraid (to buy a home) because they watched their parents lose their home.”

Towanna said education remains the most effective way to overcome those fears.

Her team also works to connect buyers with reputable lenders and credit counseling resources — helping them prepare financially before entering the market.

“It’s about working with credit repair individuals who are not there to just take your money, like, ‘Send me $1,000 and I’ll increase your credit score.’ Don’t do that,” she said. “You want to work with someone who’s going to help educate you on how to have good credit, how to have good consumer credit and what that looks like as the years progress.”

Ultimately, agents say the earlier younger consumers begin learning about homeownership, the more likely they are to see it as achievable.

“LaShawn and I have one of the few teams that go to schools, the elementary schools, to explain about buying a home,” said Towanna. “People say, ‘Why would you talk to a third grader about purchasing a home?’ It’s because people remember those individuals that came to their school when they were in the third and fourth grade and the message that they left them with.”