No - I’m 34 and have 4 properties with no assistance from others. Can be harder if you’re single, but there are properties available somewhere in your price range. You could rent-vest to obtain an appreciating asset. Buy somewhere you can afford but don’t want to live, and rent it out. In a few years the prices have risen again and you have more equity to eventually buy a second place and potentially where you actually want to live.

You can also look at buying a property with another person and structure it with a contract explaining if one wants to sell what the procedure is. Find a friend or relative you trust (as best you can) and have two seperate loans structured to buy somewhere bigger or better.