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According to the latest edition of NAR’s Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, today’s housing market is being shaped by older, more experienced buyers than ever before. The median age of repeat buyers has climbed to a record high of 62, a notable shift from the 1980s, when the typical first-time seller was in their mid-thirties. In fact, nearly half (49%) of all buyers in 2025 were over 60. As seasoned buyers take center stage, their housing decisions reflect clear, consistent priorities. Their choices are driven less by starting over and more by settling in for the long term; the data shows buyers 60+ are right-sizing their homes, favoring suburban and small-town locations, gravitating toward senior-related housing, and heading south.

Right-Sizing and Settling In

Older buyers are overwhelmingly experienced participants in the housing market, with 93% having purchased a home after owning one previously. Their purchasing patterns also reflect a strong preference for less densely populated areas. In 2025, 43% of mature buyers purchased homes in suburban communities, while one-in-four (25%) chose small towns. Smaller shares bought in urban areas (11%) or rural locations (16%), and just 5% purchased homes in resort or recreation areas, highlighting a general tendency among mature buyers to favor suburban and small-town settings over urban environments.

One of the most commonly cited reasons that buyers over 60 purchase a new home is the desire to downsize. The relationship between age and home size is well established: sellers under 60 generally move into larger homes, while those over 60 tend to purchase smaller homes than the ones they sell. In 2025, sellers over 60 years old downsized by 100 square feet. This reduction in size is reflected in the price of their new homes. That year, the median purchase price for older buyers was $409,000, compared with a median sale price of $433,000 for the homes they sold.

Built for the Next Chapter

According to NAR’s 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, senior-related housing has remained consistently popular among older buyers, with 17% of buyers over the age of 60 purchasing a primary residential home in senior-related housing. Senior-related housing refers to residential options designed for, marketed to, or primarily occupied by older adults. It’s an umbrella term that can cover several different housing types, ranging from independent living to full medical care.

For many buyers 60+, the move into senior-related housing looks less like a dramatic downsizing and more like a continuation of familiar rhythms. Most (60%) chose a detached single-family home, often settling in suburbs or subdivisions, and just over half ultimately bought one. Others opted for different layouts, with smaller shares choosing duplexes, apartments, or condos (14%), or turning to townhomes and row homes (11%). The median age of buyers in this group is 69, and many purchase alongside a spouse, as married couples make up the clear majority (62%). Still, a meaningful share of buyers are navigating this transition on their own, particularly single women (24%). With a median income of $90,900, these buyers are entering this next chapter with both experience and financial stability, shaping a version of senior living that prioritizes comfort, independence, and familiarity.

There are plenty of reasons older buyers are attracted to senior-related housing. They most often opt for this over traditional neighborhoods for convenience to health facilities (39%), for the design of these neighborhoods (38%), and for being in a planned community (36%).

A Statistically Significant Amount of Sunshine

Buyers in their 60s and beyond are increasingly looking south when it comes time to buy a home, and it’s not hard to see why. Warmer winters, lower housing costs in many markets, and tax-friendly policies all play a role, but the real story shows up in the data. Forty-six percent of older buyers purchased a home in the South in 2025. When asked what their primary reason for purchasing their new (to them) home was, 26% said they wanted to be closer to family, 13% said they purchased their home for retirement, and 11% said they were looking to downsize.  According to NAR’s Metro Market Statistics dashboard, in 2024, places like Sebastian–Vero Beach, Florida (median buyer age 63) and Ocala, Florida (60) are especially popular with buyers over 60.

As seasoned buyers continue to make up a growing share of the housing market, their influence is increasingly clear in the data. From right-sizing their homes and choosing familiar, lower-density communities to embracing senior-related housing and heading south in search of warmer weather and practical benefits, these buyers are making thoughtful, experience-driven decisions. This isn’t a story of slowing down, but rather one of refinement. Guided by decades of homeownership and shaped by clear priorities, mature buyers are proving that the next chapter in housing is less about how much space you have and more about how well it works.