Gen Z Can’t Afford Homes — So How Are They Buying Them?

A 24-year-old making $76,000 a year just closed on a $750,000 house. Run the numbers through a mortgage calculator and it shouldn't work. So how are Gen Z homebuyers affording homes that their incomes seemingly can't support? The obvious answer is rich parents, trust funds, and family money. But the data tells a much more complicated story. In this video, we follow the money behind Gen Z homeownership and the surprising ways younger buyers are bridging the housing affordability gap—from FHA loans and down-payment assistance to parental home equity and the liquidation of investments and other assets. The result is a homebuying system where the purchase price may not change, but where the money comes from does. And getting to the closing table may only be half the story. Because once the one-time sources of money are gone, the mortgage still has to be paid every month. So how are Gen Z buyers getting into expensive homes—and what happens after they get the keys? Chapters 0:00 The $750K House That Shouldn't Be Possible 1:20 The $450,000 Gap 2:30 Is It Just Rich Parents? 4:05 Where the Family Money Really Comes From 5:30 The Down Payment Isn't What You Think 7:05 How Gen Z Is Getting Through the Door 8:35 The Money Nobody Counts as Income 10:05 Getting the House Is Only Step One 11:15 The Three Signatures Behind the Purchase Sources: LendingTree 2026 Mortgage Down Payment Survey; Federal Reserve research on parental transfers and homeownership; FHA program guidelines. Subscribe to Josh Talks Business for more videos explaining the hidden economics behind businesses, money, housing, and the systems we interact with every day. #GenZ #HomeBuying #RealEstate