Le Journal

Maine doesn’t track a key piece of data that shows when residents are able to buy their first home. Each year, the National Association of Realtors publishes the median age of first-time homebuyers nationwide. This year, the median age reached 40 — the highest since the organization began tracking the metric in 1981. The median age is especially helpful for realtors to understand their first-time buyer clients, and for policy makers to see whether their work to help young people enter the housing market are making a difference, said Jessica Lautz, the National Association of Realtors’ deputy chief economist and vice president of research. While the national median age is telling, the National Association of Realtors doesn’t break that data down state-by-state, and the local organizations that monitor the state’s real estate market and offer housing assistance don’t fill the gap. This leaves Maine without an understanding of when people are able to buy their first home or the ability to track that data over time. This knowledge could be especially useful in Maine — the oldest state in the nation — which needs to attract and retain young people to replace an aging workforce. “When we have a desire, as many policymakers do, to make housing more affordable and bring young people into the fold of homeownership what does that mean?” Lautz said. “We have to know foundationally where we are as a nation before we make decisions to move the needle, and to see if the needle is actually moving.” In the 1980s, the typical first-time homebuyer in the U.S. was in their late 20s, according to the National Association of Realtors. Current first-time buyers reported expenses like high rent costs and burdensome student loans as some of the things that prevented them from buying a home sooner. Other factors, like the rising cost of homes and limited inventory in recent years, have contributed to the tightening housing market and barred young people from homeownership for longer across the nation but especially in Maine, Lautz said. “Maine is one of those states where home prices have increased very dramatically in the last five years,” Lautz said. “From quarter one of 2020 to quarter two of 2025, home prices have appreciated 80.1% within your state.” The Maine Association of Realtors doesn’t know how old first-time buyers are because a buyer’s date of birth isn’t included in real estate transaction documents, said Clarie Berger, communications and government affairs manager for the organization. Jeff Harris, the 2025 president of the Maine Association of Realtors and broker with Farmington-based Harris Real Estate, said Maine-specific buyer age information would likely be helpful to have, but he didn’t know how to get the information. The National Association of Realtors gathered the data by sending out surveys to more than 173,000 people nationwide. They determined first-time buyers’ median age using more than 6,000 responses from recent buyers, according to Lautz. While local information would be useful, Lautz said it would likely be difficult for individual states to source it. “You would either need to talk to local realtors after someone made a transaction to see their age, which they may not know, or you would have to go directly to the consumers who purchased a home after and it can be hard to track folks down,” Lautz said. The Maine State Housing Authority tracks a similar metric through its First Home Loan Program, which helps guide first-time buyers navigate the process and provides low fixed interest rate mortgages. Qualified participants can also receive assistance with down payment and closing costs, according to the housing authority’s website. The average age of MaineHousing’s First Home participants over the last decade has ranged from 33 to 35, said Scott Thistle, the communication director for MaineHousing. For the last two years, however, the median age of homebuyers has remained at 32. Last year, 925 people took advantage of…

The turbulence caused by the longest government shutdown on record may still be fresh on travelers’ minds this Thanksgiving, but experts say preparing for the usual holiday crush of winter weather, heavy traffic and crowded airports can help ease those jitters. “I think the shutdown at this point is history for air travel. The airlines understand this time of year so well. They know exactly what they need to do,” said Sheldon H. Jacobson, an airport and airlines operations expert. “The real challenge is making sure travelers can help themselves.” Here’s a guide to navigating the busiest travel week of the year: How busy could it be? Travel forecasts point to packed airports and roads. A week after lifting the unprecedented flight restrictions it placed on commercial airlines during the shutdown, the Federal Aviation Administration is preparing for its busiest Thanksgiving week in 15 years, with more than 360,000 flights scheduled between Monday and next Tuesday. That’s more than 17.8 million people who will be screened by the Transportation Security Administration. AAA projects 1.3 million more travelers will be on the roads than last year, pushing the total number of people traveling by car to at least 73 million. Winter weather You can’t control the weather, but you can control how prepared you are if a winter storm hits. If your flight is canceled or delayed, will you drive instead or postpone or cancel your trip? Knowing your options ahead of time can reduce stress if a storm leaves you stranded. James Belanger, vice president of meteorology at the Weather Company, recommends checking the forecast frequently while planning your trip. The Weather Channel offers a Thanksgiving weekly forecast highlighting major airports and highways that could be affected by bad weather — including snow, ice and rain — along with a free online tool that shows how the weather might impact your travel route. On Tuesday, the FAA’s busiest day with more than 52,000 flights scheduled, forecasters say rain could cause problems in the Pacific Northwest and for much of the eastern U.S. Airports in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington, D.C., could be impacted, according to the Weather Channel. What to pack (and what to skip) Jacobson, whose research contributed to the design of TSA PreCheck, recommends starting your packing by unpacking. Check every pocket in case TSA-restricted items, like full-sized bottles, were left behind from a previous trip. This simple scan can help you get through security faster, especially when airports are crowded. If you’re traveling with gifts, Jacobson suggests wrapping them at your destination because TSA agents may need to open them. When deciding which clothes and shoes to pack, Belanger says to check the “feels like” temperature for a better sense of the weather, especially if you’re not used to the cold. And don’t forget a REAL ID is required to fly within the U.S., or you’ll need to bring another accepted form of ID, like a passport or military ID. People with iPhones can now also add their U.S. passport details to Apple Wallet, which can be scanned at participating airports if travelers don’t have a REAL ID. More than a dozen states already accept some form of a mobile ID at airport checkpoints, and travelers can go to the TSA website for more details. Road trip ready Whether driving is your top choice or backup plan, AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz suggests checking your tires, car battery and fluids, then hitting the road with a full tank of gas as early as possible to avoid traffic. Last year, AAA said, it responded to nearly 600,000 emergency roadside assistance calls during the Thanksgiving travel period to help drivers stranded by dead batteries, flat tires and empty tanks. According to an analysis by Google Maps: — Traffic on Wednesday is expected to be 14% heavier than usual between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., with peak traffic from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. — On Thanksgiving Day, the roads will…