Seconding this, and I echo your thoughts.

I'm Middle Eastern, was born and raised in Europe (German-speaking country), came to the United States for university, and ended up getting a job on the west coast following my studies, which wasn't part of my original plan -- original plan was to head back to Europe following the completion of my studies. Anyway, ended up meeting my husband while working out there. Fast forward about four years, and we decided to move to the east coast, since that was where he was from originally. Both got good jobs. Bought a house in January 2020, just weeks before the pandemic.

We were/are.... okay. I make ~95K/year (in my late 20's, I work in tech). My husband, unfortunately, has had exceptionally shaky/rocky employment history the past four years. And don't get me wrong, our house is beautiful, only ten years old, we purchased at a reasonable rate (440K), given that it's a standard, Americana-style newer home, 2500+ sq ft (twice that if you count the exterior), locked in at 3.7%, etc. But..... this is not a dream. I didn't dream of homeownership. My husband is the one who really wanted to buy a home. Yet, now I'm the one stuck paying for it, given his unstable employment history the past several years. Not blaming him or anything, it happens, and I'm doing what I can to help him.

But, FFS. Homeownership is probably the furthest thing from a dream. It is extraordinarily expensive and time-consuming. And I honestly, genuinely, SERIOUSLY don't understand the hype about it. Like.... there isn't really anything magical about it. There isn't some big, positive, magical surprise once you get the keys to your own house. It's no different than getting an apartment, except now you're on the hook -- both financially and physically -- for any and all repairs.

This is just my two cents, but: I feel like a lot of the 'hype' around the 'amazingness' of homeownership has been manufactured.