For generations, buying a home has been viewed as a major step toward financial security. But in the Coachella Valley, rising home prices, mortgage costs, insurance and maintenance expenses are prompting some residents to reconsider whether owning a home is still the best path.
The issue was discussed on The Roggin Report as local housing sales appear to be slowing. The segment noted that Coachella Valley home sales are running 23% below normal, while homes in Indio are taking longer to sell than anywhere else in the Valley.
The discussion also pointed to California’s housing costs. California has the second-highest average home prices in the country, behind only Hawaii.
Chauncey Thompson said homeownership remains part of the American dream, but the way people reach it may be changing.
“I think it’s still an American dream, but I think how they get there is going to be different,” Thompson said.
The cost of buying can make that dream difficult. The segment cited an average Indio home price of $655,000 and a mortgage rate of about 6.5%, putting the mortgage payment at roughly $4,000 a month before property taxes and insurance.
That has some people asking whether renting could make more financial sense.
Tammy Bleck noted that some older homeowners have sold their houses and chosen to rent because they want fewer responsibilities, including property taxes, maintenance and repairs. Renting can also give people greater flexibility to move.
Fred Roggin raised another changing attitude: younger adults may not view homeownership as the automatic goal previous generations did.
Roggin said some of his adult children question the idea of tying up so much money in a house when renting can eliminate many ownership costs and leave more money available for travel, cars and other priorities.
The discussion ultimately raised a question that goes beyond housing prices: Is homeownership still the American dream, or are changing generations redefining what financial freedom looks like?
As one participant put it, both younger and older people may be reaching the same conclusion for very different reasons.
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By: NBC Palm Springs
August 12, 2026
