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Ryan Serhant — the celebrity broker who sells luxury to the very wealthy — told Americans what many politicians and pundits won’t: younger buyers are going to have to adapt to a new reality on housing rather than expect the past to magically return. His comments came during interviews about the affordability pinch hitting families across the country, and they cut against the comforting narrative that government handouts or monetary tinkering will instantly restore the neighborhoods millennials were promised.
Serhant was blunt that “most people can buy a home — just not where they want,” and he warned that dreams of a perfect starter house in a hotspot are often unrealistic amid today’s prices and interest-rate environment. He also observed that the American dream of homeownership hasn’t disappeared so much as evolved, with people juggling different goals like renting, second homes, or flexible living arrangements in high-cost cities. Those are not platitudes from a politician — they’re reality checks from someone who actually brokers deals at the top end of the market.
Practical advice from Serhant is straightforward: waiting on interest rates to fall might cost you a home you otherwise could afford; small rate movements don’t always justify years of delay. He even lays out the math for fence-sitters — the monthly savings from a fractional rate decline can be surprisingly small compared to the opportunity cost of missing a purchase or locking in a home you can live in for the next five to seven years. If conservatives want to criticize anything, let it be the fantasy that timing the market is a substitute for common-sense financial planning.
None of this should absolve the political class from responsibility. Serhant reminds us housing boils down to supply, demand and interest rates — and on that front Washington’s pet policies, urban NIMBYism, and suffocating zoning rules have made the problem worse for ordinary Americans. Instead of lecturing young people to “adapt” while protecting elites’ favored zoning restrictions, lawmakers should stop blocking development and let builders deliver the homes people actually need.
It’s worth noting the double standard: the same cultural elite that tells young Americans to be flexible about their housing often treats property as a portfolio, buying second homes or investment units while the rest of the country struggles to get a foot on the ladder. Serhant’s remarks about people reconsidering where and how they live should be a warning light — not an excuse for policy paralysis or moralizing about consumer choices.
Hardworking Americans deserve leaders who will fight for real solutions: unleash responsible building, reform zoning, cut red tape, and stop piling on taxes and regulations that make homes unaffordable. Politicians who peddle pity or temporary subsidies while leaving the structural problems untouched are failing their constituents. If we want young families to own homes again, conservatives must push practical, pro-growth policies that restore opportunity — not more lectures about how youngsters should “adapt” to an economy our elites helped distort.
