Between 1999 and 2001 anyone with a pulse could get a 75K job with all the Internet nonsense. I had friends making 100K plus sitting in their cubicles playing solitaire all day.
BTW, you must be working the wrong place. My old neighbor was an HR exec for a major defense contractor. She was constantly hiring dozens of mid level guys in the 90’s with a couple years experience and that was a few years ago.
Lastly, a HH Income of $20K per month easily supports a $600K home. A 30 year fixed rate on 500K loan is only about $3100 per month, add $700 for taxes, $150 for HOA and $150 for insurance and you reach approximately $4000 per month. At 20% of monthly gross that is a no brainer.
