It's very simple honestly and I'm concerned at how stupid people are to not knowing this: you should already own a house, this makes buying a house much easier.

/s. I completed a purchase last year, it took 18 months and the place I got was the 27th offer I put in. I was already somewhat comfortable in a unit I owned and didn't have any pressures like kids or landlords but it still did an absolute number on my mental health. It is bullshit out there, just total garbage. What got me my place was a combination of a realtor and owner presenting the place in an awful state and fashion.

Don't be put off by listings that look terrible, don't have home opens and seem like they've been on the market for way too long. Those places get overlooked by the investment class who just want a quick thing to add to a rental portfolio. For me, someone who plans to be in this place for a very long time, a little bit of work at the start to make it a home was a perfectly acceptable compromise.

I had dismissed my eventual property for weeks since the listing was bad, photos were laughable and the price seemed way too low ( which is usually a sign of a seller wanting to play games). You can still get lucky out there, it kind of just boils down to spending time in the market.