For many younger residents throughout the U.S., one of the hardest parts of the housing market is watching the place where they grew up become somewhere they can no longer afford to call home.
A person in their mid-20s in Plymouth, Massachusetts, shared their frustration in a post on Reddit.
Here's what to know
The former resident wrote in r/massachusetts that their family's roughly 1,100-square-foot home, bought in the 1990s for $150,000, is valued at about $550,000.
That jump in value made the OP conclude that buying in Plymouth no longer feels within reach. They said they had always hoped to buy there but see the town as both "more and more unobtainable and less desirable."
They added, "It's sad what this town along with the rest of the south shore has become."
One commenter from Gloucester said a family home their contractor grandfather built in 1981 for $25,000 is assessed at $950,000.
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Other people in the comments also discussed dramatic price increases all over Massachusetts.
Younger people aren't sure now if they can live in their current communities or if higher housing prices will force them to rent longer than expected.
Another commenter argued, "Plymouth is especially affected with all the cranberry bogs turned over to real estate development."
What can be done?
Commenters pointed to housing supply as a major factor.
"The answer is to loosen zoning laws dramatically and allow for the building of a lot more housing. Demand exceeds supply, it's as simple as that," one person wrote.
Others focused on smaller-scale options that could help families stay connected.
The thread also pushed back against a simple outsider-versus-local narrative. One commenter noted that many buyers may be primary residents with high-paying jobs or large down payments from previous home sales.
Either way, leaving your hometown when you want to stay can hurt a lot.
"It's a certain kind of heartache that other people try to play down, but it's very real," another person shared.
Where can I learn more?
Similar fights over affordability and neighborhood change are playing out well beyond Plymouth.
• In Salt Lake City, mega-mansions take over neighborhoods, leaving longtime residents struggling to stay.
• In Dearborn near Detroit, larger homes replacing modest ones intensified fears about affordability.
• Even tiny homes now carry steep price increases, undercutting one supposed affordability escape.
• In Texas, rising insurance premiums are becoming another barrier to buying a home.
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