As a mortgage loan officer in Utah, I work closely with hardworking people every day who are doing everything right. I review their numbers, their budgets, their goals. They have stable jobs, they pay their bills, and they save what they can. And yet many of them still cannot qualify for a home in the market they grew up in. What I see now is very different than ten years ago. Buyers are often approved at numbers that leave no breathing room, or worse, they fall just short of what entry-level homes now cost. Even small increases in rates, insurance, or property taxes can push them out completely. The emotional toll is real. I’ve had clients break down feeling like they’ve failed, when in reality the math has simply changed around them. As a mom and a grandma, this hits home. My own children and grandchildren are growing up in a market where homeownership feels further away than it did for previous generations. Families are doubling up, delaying milestones, or settling for options that don’t provide long-term stability. That should concern all of us. I believe in homeownership. But right now, too many capable, responsible people are locked out of it. We have to acknowledge the reality buyers are facing and start having honest conversations about sustainable solutions.