4 Ways To Buy Your First Home, Even As Prices Rise

For many young Americans, the dream of owning a home feels less like a middle-class milestone and more like a prize available only to those with family money or extraordinary incomes.

The monthly mortgage payment on a median-priced home has increased 15% in the last year, while incomes have only increased by 4%. And even if mortgage rates fall in the next year, an increase in activity from buyers striking while the iron is hot would heat up competition and send prices up enough that it will be harder to afford to buy.