Single Gen Z women are buying more homes than single Gen Z men, even as the overall pool of first-time buyers is shrinking, according to National Association of Realtors data covering July 2024 through June 2025. NAR’s survey found that in that period, single women accounted for 35% of all Gen Z homebuyers, while single men accounted for 18%, a gap unmatched in other generations tracked by the realtor group. The survey also showed that the share of U.S. homes purchased by first-time buyers of all ages fell to the lowest point on record dating to 1981.
NAR surveyed people who bought a home during that 12-month window, spanning ages 18 to 26 for Gen Z as well as older cohorts including the Silent Generation. While Gen Z overall made up just 4% of all homebuyers in the period, the report said Gen Z single women represented a larger share of their generation’s buyers than single women in any other age group.
One of the survey’s profiles comes from Bri LaFluer, who bought her first home at 24 in 2023 after years of saving and working two jobs. LaFluer, now 27, described the purchase as a chance to have her “own place to have peace and quiet by myself.” She said her home search began in 2021, and that historically low mortgage rates at the time made competition for homes “ultra competitive,” which in turn pushed prices up.
LaFluer ultimately found a house in Baldwinsville, New York, about 15 miles from Syracuse, built in 1900 with three bedrooms and 1.5 baths. She said she bought the home for $175,000 after living with her mother and paying rent that helped her save up for a $20,000 down payment. She told the outlet that she felt the home was “meant to be,” adding that it turned out to be “the perfect house for me and my dogs.”
NAR’s data also pointed to another major differentiator for Gen Z buyers: marital status. The survey said Gen Z homebuyers tend to be unmarried at higher rates than homebuyers in other generations, and it found that single women across generations made up a quarter of all homebuyers in the July 2024-June 2025 period. By contrast, single men accounted for 11% of all home purchases.
NAR deputy chief economist Jessica Lautz said there is no single explanation for why single women outnumber single men among homeowners across generations, but she pointed to changes that enabled women to secure financing on their own. Lautz said it “wasn’t until the 1970s where women were legally protected to have a mortgage on their own,” and she said women “have embraced this and been very strongly embracing this.”
Even with the gender shift in ownership among young adults, the survey emphasized that affordability remains a hurdle for aspiring Gen Z buyers. NAR said Gen Z homebuyers are typically just starting their careers with their “best income-earning years ahead,” and they are less likely to be married while possibly carrying student loan debt. The group also said their median annual income of $76,000 in 2024 was the lowest compared with homebuyers in other generations.
Prices and monthly payments can also add friction. NAR reported that median home sales price stood at $417,700 in April, up 0.9% from a year earlier, and that first-time buyers often lack prior-home equity to apply to a down payment. The survey said Gen Z buyers may still find ways to make ownership possible, including financial help from family and community grants or other first-time assistance programs, and it cited that 1 in 10 Gen Z buyers tapped their 401(k) retirement savings plan toward a down payment.
Mariah Berry, 23 when she bought her home in 2023, said she focused on saving instead of going out. She described the decision as “not fun” and said, at one point, she was driving an “old beat-up car.” Berry said she bought a two-bedroom, one-bath home in Charleston, Tennessee, about 45 miles outside Chattanooga, after bouncing between short-term rentals and couch surfing with friends and making a $7,000 down payment.
Berry said she bought the ranch-style duplex unit for $218,000 and financed the rest with a 30-year mortgage at 6% interest. She said that after making the offer, she felt uncertain and even wanted to “puke,” but she framed becoming a homeowner at 23 as “pretty frickin’ awesome.” She later said she is considering the possibility of buying the other half of the duplex in the future, potentially renting it out.
NAR’s survey also treated the Gen Z gender pattern as part of a longer trend. It said that the share of homes bought by single women peaked at 22% in 2006 during the mid-2000s housing boom, and that single men’s share peaked at 12% in 2010.