Perhaps it was mere happenstance, not intentional coincidence, that new data on first-time homebuyers in the United States was released on Election Day. But it surely was fitting.

A survey from the National Association of Realtors found that the median age of those buying their first home is a record 40 years old. That's seven years higher than just four years ago, and a telling commentary on the bludgeoning effect of sky-high home prices and mortgage rates, especially on Long Island.

The number acquired even more significance by emerging on a day when the nation's three most prominent races were won by candidates whose signature issue was affordability — New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, both elected governor of their states.

The first-time homebuyer stat is an important one. Buying a house has long been a marker of success, a milestone for young adults in terms of both financial stability and emotional satisfaction. Frustration with not being able to achieve the American dream of........

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