It's not really that simple any longer. The younger generation is living in a world where apartment rent is twice the cost of a mortgage. Today's generation is aging into a reality where they cannot afford rent either.

For example, my son makes twice what my husband makes. He can't get a house for two reasons: 1) He's just shy of 20 and no one will trust a 20 year old; 2) An average mortgage is more than 40% of his annual salary.

I'm not exaggerating about rents being more than mortgages. My son's apartment rent is more than twice my husband's and my mortgage for the same square footage (plus the house has a quarter acre yard).