Ken Duke

I seem to have made some folks angry, so let me explain: First, I’m not a boomer. I just get tired of seeing people dunk on a whole generation of amazing people. Second, here’s the basic math after asking Claude to run multiple sources (obviously these vary from location to location)… 1981 vs. Today — The Full Housing Cost Picture 1981 - Median household income: $22,390/yr ($1,866/mo) - Median home price: $68,900 - Rate: 16.64% | Payment (P&I): $780/mo - Property tax: ~$86/mo - Homeowners insurance: ~$81/mo - Total monthly housing cost: ~$947 - Monthly cost as % of gross income: 50.7% 2026 - Median household income: $83,730/yr ($6,978/mo) - Median home price: $403,200 - Rate: 6.51% | Payment (P&I): $2,041/mo - Property tax: ~$302/mo - Homeowners insurance: ~$208/mo - Total monthly housing cost: ~$2,551 - Monthly cost as % of gross income: 36.6% One point of note is that in 2026 people are getting married later in life, so that can be a significant factor in affordability if you’re single.

I seem to have made some folks angry, so let me explain: First, I’m not a boomer. I just get tired of seeing people dunk on a whole generation of amazing people. Second, here’s the basic math after asking Claude to run multiple sources (obviously these vary from location to location)… 1981 vs. Today — The Full Housing Cost Picture 1981 - Median household income: $22,390/yr ($1,866/mo) - Median home price: $68,900 - Rate: 16.64% | Payment (P&I): $780/mo - Property tax: ~$86/mo - Homeowners insurance: ~$81/mo - Total monthly housing cost: ~$947 - Monthly cost as % of gross income: 50.7% 2026 - Median household income: $83,730/yr ($6,978/mo) - Median home price: $403,200 - Rate: 6.51% | Payment (P&I): $2,041/mo - Property tax: ~$302/mo - Homeowners insurance: ~$208/mo - Total monthly housing cost: ~$2,551 - Monthly cost as % of gross income: 36.6% One point of note is that in 2026 people are getting married later in life, so that can be a significant factor in affordability if you’re single.