My cousin has been saving for a house down payment for 5 years. $600 a month. Every single month. No exceptions. Skipped every vacation. Kept the same car past 130,000 miles. Cooked every meal at home. Last month she hit $46,000. Called me excited. Started scheduling tours. Her realtor sent the numbers two days later. Median home in her area: $480,000. She needs $96,000 for 20% down to avoid PMI. She’s $50,000 short. After 5 years of doing everything right. She asked me what she did wrong. Nothing. She’s 31. No kids. Stable job. 790 credit score. And she’s still not enough for a system that keeps moving the target while she’s mid-sprint.