I saw a listing for an old apartment in Shanghai's inner ring — around 1.2 million yuan. Under 50 square meters, but the location was incredible. Walkable to subway, shops, parks — everything.
My first thought was: I could totally live here.
My second thought was: wait, I bought my place years ago for way more and got way less.
I shared the listing with a younger colleague, and she was genuinely excited. "That's actually affordable," she said. "Two people splitting a mortgage on that would be totally doable."
It made me think about how different generations see housing. When I was buying, everyone said you had to stretch — buy the biggest place you could barely afford, because prices only go up. The pressure was immense.
But today's young buyers seem more pragmatic. They're looking for something that fits their actual life, not some idealized version of it. A small place in a great location beats a big place in the middle of nowhere.
Maybe the real estate wisdom I grew up with is obsolete. Or maybe young people today are just smarter about what they really need.
Either way, I'm genuinely happy for them. And a little jealous.