Reasonably Optimistic

Why homeownership feels impossible for Gen Z

July 24 · 21 min
0:00-21:48

Streams straight from the publisher. podnod never proxies or re-hosts episode audio.

For generations, owning a home was seen as the first real step into adulthood: a place to raise a family, build wealth and claim a piece of the American Dream. But for Gen Z, soaring prices, high mortgage rates and a shortage of starter homes have pushed even modest houses out of reach.


Host Megan McArdle argues that young Americans really have received a worse housing deal than earlier generations. But the era of cheap, abundant homes to buy was shaped by forces we cannot simply recreate, and a good life does not have to begin with buying the perfect house.


Subscribe to The Washington Post here.