1. “We bought our first house with a 13% interest rate and survived.”
That sounds wild until you realize the context was completely different. Home prices were drastically lower, and wages were more proportional to housing costs. A 13% interest rate on a $70,000 house is very different from a 7.5% rate on a $500,000 one. The math simply doesn’t translate.
In 2025, higher rates are layered on top of record-setting home prices, making monthly payments shockingly high. Even if rates come down a bit, they’re still too high to make up for the cost of the home itself. Boomers might’ve had sky-high interest, but they weren’t also dealing with student debt, healthcare premiums, and rent that eats 40% of take-home pay. “We survived” doesn’t mean it’s survivable today.
2. “If you just stopped buying lattes, you could afford a house.”
This tired line has been repeated so often it’s become a meme—but it’s also mathematically ridiculous. Cutting out a $5 coffee every day for a year saves you about $1,800, which doesn’t even cover half of a 3% down payment on a median-priced home. Meanwhile, housing prices have risen by tens (or hundreds) of thousands in some cities in just a few years. No amount of budgeting coffee is going to close that gap.
This advice completely ignores the structural economic challenges younger generations face. We’re talking about runaway housing costs, record-high rent, and interest rates topping 7%. The idea that cutting small luxuries is equivalent to affording property is just insulting. It reduces a systemic issue to a personal spending flaw.
3. “Just move to a cheaper area!”
This one assumes that housing is the only factor people consider when choosing where to live. Sure, you could find a place where homes are $200,000—but will there be jobs? In many “affordable” regions, wages are also much lower, public infrastructure is lacking, and healthcare access might be limited. Moving isn’t a universal fix—it’s often just a tradeoff.
Remote work helped this idea gain steam, but it’s not the golden ticket boomers think it is. Many employers are calling workers back to the office, and even hybrid jobs often require being within commuting distance. Plus, buying in a cheaper area doesn’t eliminate closing costs, property taxes, or maintenance. You can’t outrun affordability issues with a U-Haul.
4. “Just buy a starter home and work your way up!”
That might’ve worked in 1975, when the average home cost about $39,000 and wages had kept pace with inflation. But in 2025, the median home price is hovering around $420,000, and wage growth hasn’t even come close to keeping up. Millennials and Gen Z are skipping the “starter home” phase because even a one-bedroom condo often requires a six-figure income. The old ladder is gone—it’s now a cliff.
Many younger buyers are stuck renting, not because they want to, but because down payments and closing costs are just out of reach. The concept of gradually “trading up” assumes you can get in the game to begin with. It also ignores how high interest rates, student debt, and stagnant wages have made long-term ownership harder. That ladder boomer parents climbed now feels more like a mirage.
5. “Renting is just throwing money away.”
This one completely ignores how renting can actually be the smarter financial move in many cases. In today’s market, owning comes with huge upfront costs, risky market timing, and ongoing expenses that renters don’t shoulder. If you’re moving within a few years, renting can save you thousands in transaction fees and property taxes. Not to mention the freedom to relocate for better jobs or quality of life.
This idea also falsely assumes that homeowners are always building equity. If you buy at a peak or need to sell during a downturn, that “investment” can turn into a money pit. Renting provides stability without debt, and in many metros, renting is still cheaper monthly than buying. It’s not wasted money—it’s paying for housing without the long-term financial gamble.
6. “Back in my day, we worked hard and saved.”
No one is denying that boomers worked hard—but they also did so in an economy that made upward mobility far more accessible. In 1980, the average home cost about three times the average annual salary—today it’s more like seven to ten times, depending on the city. The gap between wages and home prices has never been wider. Saving just doesn’t go as far anymore.
Also, things like tuition, healthcare, and childcare have skyrocketed in cost since their time. Many millennials are starting life in the red with student debt and no real family safety net. Saving is important, but it doesn’t solve a market that’s structurally out of reach. The game changed—but the old rules didn’t.
7. “Just get married, it’ll help you buy.”
Dual incomes do help, sure—but this advice is outdated and oddly personal. Tying financial security to your marital status is not only patronizing, it also assumes that two people earning average wages can magically overcome sky-high prices. In many cases, even two good incomes aren’t enough for a 20% down payment. And that’s before you factor in the cost of weddings, childcare, or medical bills.
Homeownership shouldn’t require a romantic partner just to be viable. This mindset also overlooks single parents, LGBTQ+ individuals, and people who simply choose not to marry. It’s 2025—we shouldn’t treat coupling up as a financial strategy. Relationships aren’t a housing policy.
8. “We didn’t need help from our parents.”
Actually, a surprising number of boomers did get help—just in quieter, less obvious ways. Family gifts, inherited property, or access to stable union jobs were more common than they admit. Today’s buyers face a much more hostile market, and parental assistance is practically baked into the process. Around 38% of homebuyers under 30 in recent years received help from family for a down payment.
Boomers tend to romanticize their independence while forgetting the privileges that made it possible. Whether it was college without debt or buying a house with a single income, they had structural support that’s been gutted since. Younger generations aren’t lazy—they’re priced out. Getting help is often the only realistic path forward, not a luxury.
9. “Fixer-uppers are the way to go!”
That may have been true when homes were cheap and you could DIY your way through repairs with sweat equity. But today’s fixer-uppers are often barely livable and come with serious safety or infrastructure issues. Between permits, inspections, and skyrocketing material costs, renovations can quickly outpace the home’s value. Plus, most people don’t have $50,000 lying around to gut a kitchen.
TV shows make it look easy, but a real reno is anything but. In competitive markets, even “fixer” homes are selling at premium prices. And for first-time buyers, the emotional and financial burden of a renovation can be overwhelming. It’s no longer the budget hack it once was.
10. “You just need to stop being picky.”
This take completely ignores how much the market has changed. Buyers today aren’t holding out for mansions—they’re trying to find homes that are safe, structurally sound, and within a reasonable commute. Expecting people to compromise on location, size, AND condition is unrealistic when homes are still wildly overpriced. Pickiness isn’t the issue—pricing is.
What boomers call picky, younger buyers call survival. No one’s turning down affordable homes because the countertops are the wrong color. They’re walking away because the roof is collapsing, the foundation is cracked, or the property is $100K over budget. Standards aren’t the problem—affordability is.
11. “You should’ve bought in 2020!”
Ah yes, the classic hindsight flex. In 2020, yes, interest rates were historically low—but so was economic certainty, and no one knew what the market would do. Many people were furloughed, unemployed, or struggling to just make rent. Blaming people for not buying during a global crisis is… out of touch at best.
And since then, home prices have jumped over 40% in many markets, which means even if you had bought then, affording anything now would still be tough. That window wasn’t wide open—it was narrow and chaotic. Acting like everyone missed a guaranteed win just adds guilt to an already demoralizing housing landscape. Boomers had decades of stable growth—2020 was not that.
12. “If you can afford rent, you can afford a mortgage.”
This one sounds logical, but it falls apart under scrutiny. Rent doesn’t come with a down payment, property taxes, insurance, HOA fees, and maintenance costs. Mortgage approval is also based on credit score, debt-to-income ratio, and stable employment—not just how much you pay in rent. Lenders are strict, and the upfront costs alone are often tens of thousands of dollars.
Many people can afford the monthly payment, but the barrier to entry is what’s stopping them. It’s like saying, “If you can run a mile, you can run a marathon.” Affording rent and affording homeownership aren’t the same game, and pretending they are just fuels bad policy and worse advice. It’s time we retired this myth.
This post 12 Boomer Housing Takes That Make Zero Sense in 2025 was first published on American Charm.
