The size of one’s home doesn’t necessarily mean one’s well-to-do. One could easily purchase a large spacious home on less than a middle-class income if one’s not particular about one’s neighborhood or one lives in an economically depressed area.
For instance, $100k wouldn’t be enough to purchase a tiny house without a yard in most areas of NYC or some of the nearby upper-middle class suburbs I know of. That same amount could get one at least a a spacious 2-3 bedroom in some rural parts of Ohio, upstate NY, or Western Mass…if one isn’t particular about the reasons why demand for such otherwise nice housing is so low*.
- Lack of good jobs for HS/college grads**, high crime, poor/non-existent public transportation infrastructure, etc.
** In one friend’s Western Mass hometown, the top portion of his HS graduating class who enlisted in the military or went off to college ended up permanently relocating to areas with greater job opportunities.