Rocket Companies found a 21% rise from 2018 to 2025 in the share of purchase mortgage originations pairing a primary applicant under 35 with a co-applicant at least 55.
The proportion was about one in 36 in 2018 and about one in 30 in 2025. Purchase originations naming a primary applicant under 35 fell 15% over that period, Rocket Companies said when it released the findings Tuesday, Oct. 27. The company reviewed mortgage-origination records from 2018 through 2025.
Rocket's measure covered cases with a lead applicant below 35 and a co-applicant at least 55. The age data do not establish family ties or show whether applicants exchanged money or other assets.
In 2025, Anaheim's rate was about one in 13 qualifying originations, while Virginia Beach's was about one in 50.
Separately, Jessica Lautz, who is the National Association of Realtors' vice president of research and deputy chief economist, said the proportion of first-time buyers “has contracted by 50% since 2007,” before the Great Recession. Her comparison concerns first-time buyers overall; Rocket's analysis measures age pairings in mortgage originations.
