Your class envy is showing. Read his post. He and his wife put off having children to afford a home and live in an area that was safe for their children. How do you know that the real estate market where he lives doesn't command such a price? Seen real estate prices in California? I have friends there who paid more than $400k for a house less than half the size of mine, and my house is only $230k.
My wife and I did the same thing the poster did, waiting to start and raise a family in a nice, relatively secure area.
Sometimes people act on principle, not on their wallets.
And I am well aware of the difference in real esate markets. My aunt and uncles previous home in Palo Alto California was nearly $2,000,000 and was 2/3rds the square footage of my parents $90,000 home in upstate NY. Their new home is a monster and over $6,000,000. Being big giant left wing liberals, if I ever hear them bitch about taxes I will smack them.
You are correct. I bet my $288,000 house is significantly bigger and better than their $600,000 one, and sitting on 20 times more land. My property taxes are only $3000 but I pay for this with a 70+ miles each way commute to work - no such thing as a 'really' free lunch, right?