I am was born on the cusp between identifying myself as an old millennial/young Gen-X-er and I used to own my own apartment before I decided to sell in an upmarket. I am also a real estate professional and I can say that my biggest challenge selling to millennials is that many feel entitled to a home. I sell real estate in a suburban area of NYC where choice neighborhoods are very expensive. I also have a hard time convincing some millennials to look in neighborhoods they can actually afford because they feel that there must be a creative way to get themselves into a neighborhood they can’t afford. Here’s how real estate markets are made: the seller sets the price, the market sets the range, and the buyer sets the value. If every property in the marketplace was really too expensive, then the market would organically readjust. The process is very simple and it starts with coming to terms with your finances and leveling expectations. You don’t get a house because you’re educated and hard working, you get a house by having the cash to purchase one. In metro NY, there are a lot of people in all age ranges who can’t afford detached homes but they may be able to afford condos or co-ops. Or maybe they can afford real estate in less expensive, out of state markets and generate rental income to supplement their NY property (if that is their goal). Some purchase single family homes and convert them into a multi family. Some fix and flip with 203K loans. There are a multitude of strategies for home ownership and they aren’t difficult or consuming to navigate if you align yourself with a professional who is experienced and follows markets day in and day out. Millennials have also proven difficult to work with because many of them will assume that they know everything about a market because there is a website of two that gives them a little information. There is a reason Realtors haven’t vanished like travel agents. I also want to add that there isn’t a right way to purchase real estate but there is a wrong way and that is to purchase more than you can comfortably afford. The municipality to whom you pay property taxes to and the lender that finances your mortgage will take your precious house from under your feet if you aren’t on top of your payments and then the only thing you will own is bad credit.