You can't buy on the west coast for a quarter million. A house big enough to start a family will likely start at a half million, and in some communities will come with hefty tax burdens.

in 2025 anything vaguely desirable in a coastal-ish city is starting at more like 600-700k. actual decent houses will be 1MM or more.

the folks in those areas, if you owned a house for the last 20 years, are now richer than ever due to that property appreciating. but the younger generation is absolutely screwed

> if you owned a house for the last 20 years, are now richer than ever due to that property appreciating.

Only if you sell it, and move somewhere with a much lower cost of housing.

If there is a spare bedroom in your HCOL location, renting that out lets you get some incoming cash flow without having to move away to a LCOL location.

You don't get "rich" from renting out a spare bedroom.

HELOC and never pay it off until you die

The north coast has cheap housing.

Sure, but you can certainly afford a house on the West Coast with an income of $250k.