JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The American dream of owning a home has long represented stability and success. But in 2025, that dream is feeling increasingly out of reach, no matter your age.
As part of our ongoing Addressing A4dability series, News4JAX gathered voices from three different generations — Baby Boomers, Millennials, and Gen Z — to discuss the challenges they face when it comes to affording a place to live.
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From sky-high rent to stubbornly high interest rates and stagnant wages, affordability is a moving target for many families in Northeast Florida.
🎥 [WATCH THE FULL PANEL DISCUSSION IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE]
The panel was moderated by real estate expert Jon Brooks, Co-Founder of Momentum Realty and Private Lending, and included four Jacksonville-area residents:
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Hal Rogers (76), a retired Baby Boomer who bought his home 35 years ago
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Alma Herud (38), a single mom and soon-to-be homeowner
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Andrea Biederman (39), a millennial renter trying to break into the market
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Madelyn Schneider (20), a Gen Z college student preparing to rent after graduation
Despite their differences, the group shared a common concern: the rising cost of housing.
“I don’t know how working people, middle-income people, I don’t know how they make it today,” Rogers said. “If I was in the position I was in 35 years ago trying to buy a home now, I’d be in a tent.”
For Madelyn, affordability means simply being able to pay rent and still have enough left for groceries and gas.
“There’s not that many places that are that affordable for any of the entry-level positions that I’m looking at,” she said. “Honestly, I don’t know anybody my age that sees buying a home as a real possibility.”
Andrea Biederman echoed that concern, sharing how she and her husband practice fiscal responsibility but still find homeownership just out of reach.
“We’re saving, we’re doing all the things we’re supposed to do and we’re still just waiting for the ‘right time’ to buy,” she said.
Alma Herud, on the other hand, is on the verge of becoming a homeowner thanks in part to down payment assistance totaling $14,000.
“I had to be really in tune with the housing market — the rates, the shifts, everything,” Herud said. “What was once laughable became achievable.”
The conversation highlights just how nuanced and personal the concept of “affordability” has become in today’s housing market, and how critical it is for leaders and communities to understand those differences as they work toward solutions.