Some Data from the NAR 2009 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

January 21, 2010

NAR has released the 2009 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. The report compiles the results of 9,138 surveys returned by buyers and sellers who sold or purchased a home between July 2008 and June 2009. The complete report is available for purchase from http://www.realtor.org/

Much of the data corresponds with what the agents at CENTURY 21 Lois Lauer Realty reported in a straw survey that I conducted.

47% of all buyers were first time buyers.

62% of first time buyers reported that the primary reason for buying a home was the desire to be a homeowner. 35% of all buyers listed homeownership as the number one reason.

The median age of first time buyers was 39 - unchanged from last year.

62% of all buyers are under the age of 44.

63% of all buyers said that they had no children under the age of 18 living at home.

90% of all buyers used the Internet to search.

84% of all buyers reported the photos to be the most useful information.

The number one action taken after viewing a home online was a drive by or visit to the home 85% of sellers sold their home with an agent.

77% of buyers purchased their home with an agent.

39% of the mortgages were FHA.

87% of buyers view real estate as a good investment.

There is much good information is the NAR report that points agents to the direction

that the consumer is seeking for real estate information and guidance.

For those of us who practice the marketing of homeownership, we are delighted that homeownership is still a desire of the majority of Americans.