You could still buy one if they still built 70m2 houses:

9m2 kitchen 15m2 sitting room 39m2 bedrooms 24m2 bathrooms 6m2 mud room 5m2 of various storage

But why buy/build one if mortgages are cheap?

Not in central SF, no. But in the rural midwest you definitely can. Just like that dude.

Yep and they did not have insulation obligations and what not. A house was much simpler back then too (i think). European here so i could be biased.

I'm not American but I can do this rough: median salary PC Henderson county 37,457 (2022) after taxes $30,858. Mortgage rates seem to be about 8% for 30y fix atm so that's 36,500 deposit with $2017 monthly payment, but at least that's $0 fees.

At $2571 in pocket per month it'll take a while to save that deposit when median rent in that location is apparently $1500 for an apartment,let alone the fact you'll need a car and all your other bills (medical insurance in America I guess).

Then you'll have $500 left over after paying your mortgage every month. Somehow I don't think that's liveable.

Not everyone can crash with their parents while they save a deposit. Not everyone has a partner that works too. Some people have or want to have children. Not everyone works in tech, but boy am I glad I do...least until the machines take over.

> median salary [...] after taxes $30,858. Mortgage [...] with $2017 monthly payment

Leaves $6,000/y or $500/m for everything else. Feels... Precarious.