My salary didn’t change at all, but homes went up 82%. The money I saved for a down payment and my salary no longer are good enough for this home and many others. This ain’t even a “good” home either. It was a 200k meh average ok home before. Now it’s simply unaffordable
I once lived in a town of around 1,000 people. It had everything I needed in walking distance - a grocery store, doctors office, pharmacy, post office, restaurant, bar, and mechanic. A beautiful bike trail and river ran through the town. Fiber Optic internet was available, and there was a medium-sized town 15 minutes away with good jobs.
I just checked and the average home price is still around 100k. A 2br apartment rents for $750/mo. These places still exist, but they’re called hidden gems for a reason.