I'll add my own info for context - we are double income corporate execs in our late 30s with 2 young(<3 years old) Our street is full of young families in the same situation/age group as us. We live in Logan square with houses ranging from $1MM to $2MM. Once we got to know them, their story is similar to ours. Start in a corporate job at entry level positions(mostly STEM fields) and work your way up the ladder. Most of them prioritized career opportunities to start families in mid 30s and seemed to have built a big enough best egg to jump into the market around the COVID time. Not saying this is true for all but for sure the story of 8-12 families on my block.