Home ownership feels increasingly out of reach for younger generations of Americans, who are squeezed by student debt and childcare costs in an era of slower economic growth. Millennials, born between the early 1980s to late 1990s, formed the biggest share of homebuyers between 2014 and 2022 according to the National Association of Realtors. But they lost the position this year to baby boomers. "Inventory is incredibly limited especially at the affordable price points, and so we're seeing millennials encounter a very difficult housing market, especially with rising interest rates," says National Association of Realtors deputy chief economist Jessica Lautz. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES