I didn’t mean to denigrate cleaners, I have friends who clean air bnbs and they are charging more than $45/hr, I just saw that advertised. Anybody can pick up $50 worth of cleaning products and start scrubbing without any special education or training so we might disagree on how much skill is required, but my Airbnb cleaning friends definitely have motivation, and a positive attitude and outlook on life despite the challenges they face in other areas.

Either you rent for your whole life or you buy something and have to compromise on some of the variables. I see lots of people working hard, mostly in jobs they don’t love, and making those compromises and choosing to buy somewhere.

> despite literally not having a job, any prospects, or the possibility of owning a home at any point in my life, even as a software developer

I hope things turn around for you! I meant to point out that home ownership is possible, but it sounds like you have already evaluated the variables and if you are set on only living in some specific area then home ownership might not be possible in that location without a couple of well above average incomes.