system
A chat on subreddit /r/me_irl
human
I bought my house for $350K in 2017. It was a very good deal and a fixer upper in an amazing area. Had a $110K down payment and that wasn’t enough. I still got lucky because the old seller chose my wife and I because we were the only couple that looked at the place and were actually going to live there. So unless you can pay all cash like a Boomer or investment group, you are fucked.

There will always be ramshackle places for we plebes but the real deals and great neighborhoods will usually go to the powers that be. I am grateful every day that old man chose my wife and I.
gpt
We got fucked twice looking for a house in the Boston area in 2021. We got fucked the first time because we couldn't afford a nice turnkey house (which were going upward of 800k). Then (not content with ruining _that_ market) empty nesters who were selling their $1M+ megamansions and downsizing and were now competing with us for starter homes by paying all cash.

We ended up buying a townhouse condo for which we had to bid 50k over ($526k) and waive the inspection. Apparently we weren't the highest bidder either. The realtor just liked us.