Kristen Schwab

Marketplace's Mitchell Hartman reports on what this means for Americans trying to put down roots and build wealth.

I meet Kim Tate-Wistreich at his new home on a tree-lined street in Portland, Oregon.

For more than a decade, he and his wife lived in Thailand.

Back in the U.S.

with a young family, they started house hunting while moving from rental to rental.

But it was a move they could make, at least, with savings in the bank and help from their parents.

Their broker, Israel Hill, sees a lot of similar first-time buyers.

Data from real estate site Zillow confirmed the trend, says senior economist Orfei Divungi.

The typical prospective buyer is 39.

Some analysts have disputed the National Association of Realtors finding that the typical first-time buyer is as old as 40, though NAR stands by its data.

Redfin has done its own analysis and concludes the average age of first-time ownership has risen gradually over the past two decades, says Chen Zhao, head of economic research.

As to whether it's a good idea to wait until age 35 or 40 to buy a first home, here's Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Advisor Ashley Russo.

She says first priorities should actually be saving for an emergency fund and retirement.

Orfeh Divungi at Zillow says delaying home ownership can have advantages.

There are benefits to buying at any age, says Mike, Fred and Tony at the Mortgage Bankers Association.

That's if home prices keep going up and if you stay in the home long enough to build some equity.

I'm Mitchell Hartman for Marketplace.

Coming up... People who want to buy nice things but maybe feel a little bit squeezed by prices right now.

Odds are that describes a lot of people these days.

But first, let's do the numbers.