Bought first house in SoCal, in 1980, no less. I was very young. Couldn't afford it due to interest rates (thanks to Carter's mess), etc. However, some things are worth the sacrifice. For me, land is always in that category. Call me a physiocrat.....
I'm with you. Bought my first townhouse in 1988 in Irvine for 180K, almost killed me. Kept it, now rental property, and the townhomes around it are selling for 645K. bought in Rossmoor in 1995 for 380K, sold for 800K in 2003, was able to buy seven figure dream home 2 blocks from ocean. But I feel for the young kids trying to get a start, cause when I started it was do-able.