There are extremes at both sides of the spectrum - Detroit real estate plummeted, San Francisco real estate skyrocketed.

You're right to point out that there isn't one narrative that defines the prior generation. Some people lucked out, others didn't, but the reality is that on average (both median and mean) home prices have drastically outpaced wage growth for the past few decades, which is obviously unsustainable.

The best the younger generations can hope for is to eventually have enough wage growth to afford a home that hopefully holds its value.