First-time homebuyers in the US are getting older. The median age just hit 40 years—a record high. Compare that to 2021 when it was 33, or 1981 at just 29. That's a massive shift in less than half a century.

What's driving this? One angle worth exploring: Are large institutional investors stepping into the housing market and pricing out regular buyers? The data suggests something structural is changing, not just individual financial situations. The gap keeps widening, and it raises serious questions about who actually gets to own property anymore.