I'm a millennial and have been a homeowner for seven years now. I had average, if not below average, credit when I bought the house and I had no downpayment (i.e. I wasn't coming in strapped).

It sounds like I'm an extreme edge case, but I really don't feel that way. I have several co-workers in the same age range who also own property. The details being recapped in this thread are very foreign to me, so I feel like this must be a geographic issue and not a generational issue.

My experience could just be unique, of course.