NerdWallet

Buying a home in the fourth quarter of 2024 would have been like finding dirt-cheap eggs — difficult. Though home prices decreased slightly and the number of homes crept up, the market remained particularly challenging for first-time home buyers.

The last quarter of 2024 was as typical as could be expected in the current housing market. Which is to say, it was a little weird. As the weather cools, prices tend to fall slightly, and this held true last year. Bucking typical fourth quarter trends, though, the number of homes listed for sale rose slightly, as did sales volume.

However, despite modestly higher inventory and lower prices at year end, the number of existing homes sold in 2024 would wind up being the lowest since 1995, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.

The median age of first-time home buyers is 38, according to the National Association of REALTORS®’ 2024 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.

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