The American Dream

            Most homes are structured to have multiple bedrooms and multiple baths. This is very fitting for families, but is unfit for young adults just getting out of college. Most millennials have followed the trend of attending college longer than the past generations have, and after they are done they make it a goal to find a career first before settling down with children. While they are busy doing that, they usually rent apartments because a house is too big for them to live in alone, or with a significant other. Until prepared to have children, most millennials chose the renting lifestyle so that they won’t be tied down to a place in case they want to make time for travel, or their career pushes them into another part of the country. Buying a house symbolizes settling down in an area and often means that the couple is prepared to have children. However it is not a priority until college is completed and a career is established, meaning purchasing a house doesn’t typically happen until people are in or close to their thirties.

The American Dream, an idea of what it truly means to be an American in some respects. For many, it is the idea of starting from nothing and making something to look back on in your later years and be proud of what you’ve done. For many in the generations before the millennial generation, the ideal was to graduate college, get married, get a house, and raise a family. For many millennials, this has changed with one key difference. That difference is the importance of having their own house. This was brought about by many factors including the economy, political ideology, and sustainability.

The "American Dream" is marked as unattainable in John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men. This is mostly shown in the case of George, Lennie, Candy, Crooks, and Curley's wife. These characters all have admitted to thinking about the "American dream" concept, and the freedom to pursue happiness and their dreams.

In an effort to save money and lower debt, more and more millennials are turning living in their parent's basement from the punchline of a bad joke or sitcom fodder into an accepted, and even

Now it becomes difficult, if finding a place to live during a prosperous age wasn’t hard enough, try finding one during the time of recession. Job losses are very common during this age, and with that comes the difficulty to afford proper housing. Most end up on the street, and others barely struggle to stay sheltered whether it be in their car, assuming they still have one or staying in public shelters. Ehrenreich mentions in her 2011 blog that, “Housing expert Peter Dreier says that “people who’ve lost their jobs, or, at least, their second jobs, cope by doubling or tripling up in overcrowded apartments, or by paying 50 or 60 or even 70 percent of

Despite this fact, home ownership in the economic and social landscape of today is a big responsibility. Economically, most millennial most likely cannot afford to own their own home. A mortgage is a much larger payment than rent for an apartment. Similarly, owning a home means paying for gas, electric, water and furniture to fill a house; this also includes any grounds upkeep depending on the home’s location and property taxes. Socially, Millennials seem to be straying away from owning a home because it

However, the author of this article seemed to want to focus on the negative aspects facing the millennial generation. This generation is not the only one facing tremendous debt. Having a degree opens a lot of doors and grants access to higher pay. The immediate rewards are difficult to see right out of college, but in the long run, I think the millennial generation will overcome these challenges. "The U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development considers home prices affordable for families who spend up to 30 percent on housing, with the remaining 70 percent spent on food, clothing and other needs (pg.1)." The latest census done in Colorado Springs states that the median household income is $54, 228 (pg.1). Taking this information and calculating 30 percent for monthly housing allowance, this household can afford around $1,380 for housing each month. With utilities and other monthly bills associated with homeownership, I don't think 30 percent is realistic in the current housing market in Colorado Springs. One thing this article did not mention was there are government assistance programs that can help millennial afford housing. El Paso county currently has a "Turnkey Mortgage Program" (adm.elpaso.com). This program offers down payment assistance. With financial planning and savings, millennial's looking to buy houses can find a way to make things work, either by being aggressive in looking for affordable housing or budgeting to take on more

In a survey by Mercury News earlier this year (2017) sixteen percent (of 1000 people) listed housing prices as the number one problem facing the Bay Area. This is most likely part of the reason that more millennials are choosing to live at home with their parents in the Bay Area. In a report by NBC News Bay Area, it was listed that 33.3% of millennials in the Bay Area live at home with their parents. This number would be less shocking if there was a high amount of unemployment in the Bay Area but this is not the case. The same article states that only 8.6% of millennials in the same area are unemployed.

Changes in market conditions make buying a house difficult. The percentage and reasons why young adults are living with parents show

Many families lost their homes to foreclosure during the recent economic downturn in the US economy. These former homeowners became renters as the national home ownership rate dropped. Many families felt that home ownership would remain out of their reach due to previous foreclosure history. In addition, losing your home and transitioning to renting is tough on your psyche. However, as rental rates continue to increase and the economy recovers these same families now see possibilities of home ownership again. The housing market has characterized the buyers as “Boomerang Buyers”.Approximately 5 million people lost their homes to foreclosure or short sale and become potential boomerang buyers. Quietly, by buying homes again, these buyers

Owning a house comes with various responsibilities, many of which Millennials cannot absolve. Firstly, homeowners set down roots by owning a house. Previous generations knew that once they bought this house they would live there until the end of their days. Millennials do not experience that type of lifestyle, especially in a job market where they might be required to move outside of

Especially here in Alaska. Things are so expensive and unless you have a really good job you can’t pay everyday bills and save the amount needed. If millennials are saving it will be at a rate that will make them available to purchase when they’re about 30. According to a study I found 68 % of millennials said they have saved less than $1000.00 for a down payment (80 % of millennials say they want to buy a home, By: Ester Bloom). There are a lot of programs out there that can help people get familiar with the homebuying process and programs available for down payment assistance and other housing scholarships. I feel like not too many of millennials know about these, When I started to look for a home buying opportunity I had to find all this on my own.

We've all seen those movies of those lazy individuals we call millennials. These people are often depicted as dependent individuals that are either living with their parents or renting some shady apartment. That's the question has been proposed whether or not are they justified in doing so. It is obviously easy to say that they have a right to do so, but can it be considered rational in the days we live in. Are their benefits from withholding to buying a house. And maybe even this could be the redefining of the new “American Dream.”

Who does not just want to settle down and buy a House? An educated guess would be that almost everyone wants to buy a house and settle down. A house represents stability and commitment, but with today’s job market that is constantly changing buying a house can be the most damaging factor to one’s career. While in some cases buying a house can be the best decision one makes, in most cases for young adults and some more mature adults buying a house can become a real set back in their careers. Buying a house is no longer the best option, in cases buying a house is the worst decision, one must look at their options and decide to either rent or buy according to ones need and limitations.

According to Forbes, the average American household spends about one-third of their yearly budget on their house – whether they rent or own.