Shifts That Defined the 2025 Market
1. The Average Age of a First-Time Homebuyer Might Surprise You
One of the clearest signals of how challenging the market has become: the average first-time homebuyer reached about 40 years old in 2025, the oldest on record.
Affordability, student debt, and limited inventory all played a role. For many buyers, homeownership simply took longer, or remained out of reach altogether.
2. Goodbye, Waiving Home Inspections
Massachusetts implemented a major consumer protection change in 2025, prohibiting sellers from accepting offers where buyers waived the home inspection.
After years where inspection waivers were common, sometimes expected, this marked a meaningful reset. Buyers no longer had to choose between being competitive and protecting themselves, and sellers had to adjust how offers were evaluated.
3. An Unusual Number of Properties Fell Out of Contract
Another noticeable trend in 2025: more deals fell apart before closing, particularly in the fall.
A mix of political and economic uncertainty, a government shutdown, and the new inspection protections all played a role. Buyers showed more hesitation and reservation and were willing to walk away when something didn’t feel right. This reflected a broader shift away from urgency toward a more cautious, intentional decision.
4. Emotional Readiness Mattered as Much as Financial Readiness
If there was one word that seemed to define buyers in 2025, it was hesitant.
There was a noticeable lack of confidence in the market, and it showed up in how long decisions took. Buyers spent more time touring homes, revisiting numbers, and talking through scenarios. Even when the right home came along, the question wasn’t just “Can we buy it?”—it was “Is this the right decision?”
That uncertainty didn’t stop people from moving forward, but it did slow the process. Confidence wasn’t assumed; it had to be built. Conversations continued well beyond the offer stage, and reassurance became just as important as strategy.
2025 reminded us that real estate decisions aren’t purely financial. Emotional clarity mattered just as much, sometimes more, than being technically ready on paper.
5. No Rhyme, No Reason
It wasn’t a boom, and it wasn’t a bust. There was no clear rhyme or reason in the real estate market of 2025.
Homes that were expected to sell quickly sat. Homes that felt like harder sells moved right away. Some price points flew, others stalled. Condos and single-family homes behaved very differently depending on location, condition, and pricing.
Unlike hotter markets where momentum shifted week to week—often driven by inventory or interest rates—2025 moved in shorter, less predictable cycles. Momentum changed every few weeks or month to month, not seasonally and not necessarily in response to volatility.
The market was nuanced and unpredictable.
If anything 2025 felt transitional. Coming out of the ultra-low rates that defined the pandemic-era housing boom, followed by historically-low number of sales in 2024, this year began to feel like an untangling toward something more predictable. Looking forward, while we still don’t have enough inventory and there are enough buyers to keep prices high, it does feel like we’re heading toward a more normal market at a pace that feels more thoughtful and rational.
