Maine Lacks Key Data on First-Time Homebuyers’ Age

Maine is missing crucial data regarding the age of first-time homebuyers, leaving a gap in understanding the state’s housing market dynamics. Each year, the National Association of Realtors tracks the median age of first-time homebuyers nationwide. In 2023, this figure reached 40 years, the highest since the organization started monitoring this metric in 1981. Such data is vital for realtors and policymakers to assess the effectiveness of efforts aimed at facilitating homeownership among younger residents.

While the national median age provides valuable insights, the National Association of Realtors does not disaggregate this data by state. Local organizations responsible for monitoring real estate markets in Maine and offering housing assistance have not filled this gap. As a result, the state lacks a clear picture of when residents are able to purchase their first homes, which could be critical for attracting and retaining young people in a state known for having the oldest population in the United States.

Jessica Lautz, the deputy chief economist and vice president of research at the National Association of Realtors, emphasized the importance of understanding these trends. “When we have a desire, as many policymakers do, to make housing more affordable and bring young people into the fold of homeownership, what does that mean?” Lautz stated. “We have to know foundationally where we are as a nation before we make decisions to move the needle, and to see if the needle is actually moving.”

In the 1980s, the typical first-time homebuyer in the U.S. was in their late 20s. Today, many first-time buyers cite high rent costs and overwhelming student loan debt as significant barriers to entering the housing market sooner. Additional factors, such as rising home prices and limited inventory, have exacerbated the challenges faced by young people seeking homeownership, particularly in Maine. Lautz noted, “Maine is one of those states where home prices have increased very dramatically in the last five years.” From the first quarter of 2020 to the second quarter of 2025, home prices in Maine have appreciated by 80.1%.

The Maine Association of Realtors currently lacks data on the ages of first-time buyers due to the absence of birth dates in real estate transaction documents. Clarie Berger, communications and government affairs manager for the organization, acknowledged this limitation. Jeff Harris, the 2025 president of the Maine Association of Realtors and a broker with Farmington-based Harris Real Estate, expressed the potential benefits of having age-specific buyer information but admitted uncertainty about how to obtain it.

The National Association of Realtors gathers its data by distributing surveys to over 173,000 individuals nationwide, determining the median age of first-time buyers from more than 6,000 responses from recent purchasers. Lautz noted the challenges individual states face in sourcing this information, explaining, “You would either need to talk to local realtors after someone made a transaction to see their age, which they may not know, or you would have to go directly to the consumers who purchased a home after, and it can be hard to track folks down.”

While the Maine State Housing Authority tracks a related metric through its First Home Loan Program, which assists first-time buyers with low fixed interest rate mortgages, it still does not provide a complete picture. Scott Thistle, the communication director for MaineHousing, indicated that the average age of participants in the First Home program has ranged from 33 to 35 over the past decade. However, the median age has remained at 32 for the last two years. In 2022, 925 individuals utilized this program, while 820 did so in the previous year. The average age of these participants was 34, according to Thistle.

Despite the limitations in the data pool, which consists solely of program participants, Thistle suggested that Maine can still gather significant insights about its real estate market. He noted that affordability metrics, determined by comparing home prices with median income, are being tracked by MaineHousing. This information could help illuminate the housing landscape and inform future policy decisions aimed at improving access to homeownership for younger residents.