Every non major metro area mechanic, school teacher, city employee I know has a nice home.
People should really consider doing lower paying boring work in places your mortgage can be $2000 a month.
This is shockingly major metro-area-centric. I want you to know that, and I feel like people on this board really need to understand how HIGH urban and suburban costs are.
In many areas of the country, $2000/month is a seriously frighteningly massive home. For reference - in the middle of rural flyover, our 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom, 1800 square foot, full basement, 2 car garage, 1100 square foot full workshop home mortgage is 15 years at $750/month. We pay that, plus another $400 /month for the 70 acres the home sits on as well.
In Spokane, WA 10-15 years ago you could get starter homes for under $100k. Now that price is at least $300k (after cooling off for the last 12 months).
If interest rates hadn’t risen it might be somewhere in between though.
Est. payment: $953/mo, 3bd, 2ba, 3,192 sq. ft., 1.31 acres -- https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1950-River-Rd-Forest-City...
Est. payment: $1,097/mo, 3bd, 2ba, 2,326 sq. ft. -- https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/301-S-Warren-St-Watertown...
Est. payment: $1,139/mo, 4bd, 2ba, 2,148 sq. ft. -- https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/522-Clifty-St-Harriman-TN...
Est. payment: $887/mo, 4bd, 2ba, 3,123 sq. ft. -- https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/172-Nebraska-Ave-SW-Huron...
Est. payment: $1,107/mo, 3bd, 2ba, 2,957 sq. ft. -- https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/415-W-Parrish-Ave-Owensbo...