[fzeroracer]

This has been my experience too as a software engineer with about 8 years of experience under my belt. A massive windfall like that simply isn't in the cards for me and even being fairly well compensated saving a majority of my money I don't see homeownership in my future.

That's been increasingly the experience of friends and coworkers too. I think a fair number of people are either far better off than they think, or just don't see the huge middle class and below squeeze going on.

[cableshaft]

Well, I do own a home. But the only people I know my age that seem to own homes (that don't have high paying jobs) took advantage of something in order to get the money together for the downpayment, like lived with their parents for years rent-free while saving, or their parents just outright provided the downpayment.

Or they bought a single-bedroom apartment as a condo for like the same price that most people used to pay for full-size homes back in the day.

And that was all pre-pandemic, when prices were like 70% of what they are now and mortgage rates were super low (that's when I bought mine also). I don't know of anyone who's bought a home my age since then (and I'm an older Millennial, it should be mostly us buying homes right now).

[anonymouskimmer]

> and I'm an older Millennial, it should be mostly us buying homes right now

There's a huge Boomer generation also trying to downsize.

Back in 2021 the average homebuyer was 45 years old. This probably hasn't changed that much: https://www.businessinsider.com/typical-us-homebuyer-age-sal...

https://www.nar.realtor/sites/default/files/documents/2021-h...

- GenZ at 2%

- Older Millennials at 23 percent and Younger Millennials at 14 percent of the share of home buyers. Millennials have been the largest share of buyers since the 2014 report

- Buyers 41 to 55 (Gen Xers) consisted of 24 percent of recent home buyers.

- Buyers 56 to 65 consisted of 18 percent of recent buyers and buyers 66 to 74 consisted of 14 percent of recent buyers.

- Buyers 75 to 95 (The Silent Generation) represented the smallest share of buyers at five percent.