I don't think that the individual Boomers are to blame though. My parents are boomers and I recall only my father having a middle-management job, my mother was stay-at-home, 4 kids, a house big enough to accommodate us all, and relative comfort. We didn't live richly, a lot of hand-me-down clothes and what not but the real estate market certainly did change. I recall my parents telling me about needing $10,000 down to secure their first house and these days, even adjusted for inflation.... there is zero chance you could get a mortgage for that much.