Boomer Dad Paid $25K for His First Home in 1980. Now Admits To His Kids, 'This Isn't Just Expensive...It's Impossible. You're Playing a Rigged Game'

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For years, generational debates have been fueled by the same talking points: avocado toast, lazy work ethics, and complaints about "kids these days." But when it comes to housing, the clash between baby boomers and younger generations isn't just a culture war—it's a balance sheet problem.

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On r/AskReddit, someone posed a blunt question: "Baby boomers of Reddit, how do you feel about the criticism leveled at your generation for supposedly having destroyed the economy and housing market for the younger generation?"

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One story cut straight to the heart of it. A man recalled how his boomer father, born in the 1950s, would always tell him "kids today just don't work as hard." Back in 1980, that same dad and his mom bought their first home for $25,000. Their combined household income? $11,000. Just two years' worth of paychecks, and they were homeowners.

Fast forward to the present. When the son and his partner began house-hunting, his father insisted they were looking "way outside" their means. So the son challenged him: go find a house today at the price he thought was fair. Hours later, the boomer dad returned pale, admitting defeat. "This isn't just expensive... it's impossible. You're playing a rigged game."

That moment ended years of "lazy generation" lectures. No more avocado toast jabs, just an admission that the system isn't stacked the same way it once was.

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And it wasn't the only story like this. Another user said their grandfather bought a six-bedroom home in 1970 for $40,000. Today, it's worth close to $950,000. When the younger family member adjusted that $40,000 for inflation—about $333,000 in 2025 dollars—the math still didn't add up. They asked their grandfather point blank if he'd sell the home for $333,000. His silence was telling.

Others piled on with similar comparisons. One person noted that boomers could pay for college on a part-time minimum wage job, then buy a home "for a handshake and a promise to bake the seller a pie." Now, those same people scoff at younger buyers who can't afford $1.3 million listings.

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The frustration runs deeper than just sticker shock. Younger generations argue that housing has been transformed into an investment vehicle, a retirement strategy, and a revenue generator—pricing out first-time buyers in the process. As one commenter put it, boomers "can't have it both ways." They can't enjoy decades of return on investment and then claim younger workers can simply grind their way into the same opportunities.

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It wasn't just one dad admitting prices are high. It was a recognition that the playing field has shifted. Wages haven't kept pace, mortgage requirements are stricter, and institutional buyers are outbidding families. What was once achievable in two years of income now looks like a lifetime of debt.

Even some boomers chimed in with sympathy. One admitted, "I see a generation that cares about mental health, fairness, and not wasting life on busywork... your empathy and grit give me hope." Another called out the real divide not as generational, but class-based: "It's not a generational war we are in, it's a class war, and we need to unite against our common enemy."

What surfaced in the thread wasn't generational whining—it was generational math. Housing affordability isn't about laziness or lattes—it's about math. And sometimes, even the most stubborn boomer dad has to look at the numbers and admit: the game has changed, and it isn't fair.

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This article Boomer Dad Paid $25K for His First Home in 1980. Now Admits To His Kids, 'This Isn't Just Expensive…It's Impossible. You're Playing a Rigged Game' originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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