re: Are we at a generational housing peak?

Selling a home in the local market in in isn't difficult at all. In a much less active market coming up on 24 months ago, my parents sold three separate pieces of property-an acre with a mobile home, 2+ acres with our childhood SFR and another 1.1 acres of unrestricted property beside the SFR in a rural neighborhood.

The mobile home was on the market for about 1 week. The Home got a full price offer after 2 hours on the market before the walk through. The unimproved acre in the same hood sold in 3 weeks.

A lease on an apartment is quicker and easier. But it's also far less lucrative and provides less tax and credit advantages compared to home ownership. To say nothing of the potential for passive income generation and/or realizing liquid assets via appreciation and the equity paying at closing.

If a younger generation doesn't see the value in it, it's because they are less financially literate IMO. The curious thing is that I interviewed in a group setting for a loan officer gig way back when and I heard incredibly similar statements about the market being saturated, homeownership levels plateauing, and it being less difficult to move based on opportunity if needed or wanted. All as reasons for the guy interviewing us to prefer to rent.

It's been 20 years or so since that time and I still hear the same comments about housing starts, the market, etc...and things keep moving forward. I think each successive generation keeps thinking they're unique, different and somewhat special.

Not just Millenials. But Gen Y'ers and X'ers too. They have all said the same things and the RE market and the biz surrounding home ownership doesn't seem to stop moving forward.