Against all odds, Generation Z is starting to break into the U.S. housing market — and doing so in increasing numbers.

This generation, born between 1996 and 2011, came of age during the COVID-19 pandemic and entered adulthood amid a worsening housing shortage and record-high home prices. Yet, many are still managing to buy homes, thanks to early financial planning, remote work flexibility, and sometimes a little help from family.

Take 23-year-old Samantha Garcia, who recently purchased a three-bedroom home in Redding, California, for $335,000. Unable to afford anything in her hometown of Los Angeles, she started saving $1,000 per month back in 2022 and made the bold choice to relocate to a more affordable city she’d never lived in. When it came time to close, her fiancé’s parents surprised the couple with a $25,000 down payment gift.

“We actually weren’t expecting them to help,” Garcia said. “But it will help us keep our savings a little bit more afloat.”

Adriana Moorman, 21, took another route. She skipped college, worked in HR, and saved diligently. With no student debt and just a small inheritance, she was able to buy a $202,000 condo in Baltimore entirely on her own.

“I think I lucked out by being financially aware at such a young age,” she said.

According to Emily Blaylock, a real estate agent in St. Louis, the flexibility of remote and hybrid work is also helping Gen Z expand their options.

“They’re OK with driving 25 minutes to downtown to get something affordable,” Blaylock said. “A lot of young people don’t have to go into the office five days a week.”

Dominic Azpeitia, 26, took a leap from Southern California to Phoenix, Arizona, where he and his wife bought a $520,000 home.

“I just decided last year, there is no point in waiting anymore,” Azpeitia said. “In my opinion, housing prices aren’t going to go down.”

He secured the home through a special agreement with his lender and seller that covered the down payment and closing costs, and he hopes to rent out the property in a few years.

Rylee Arnold, 28, also benefited from changing market dynamics. Sellers in her Salt Lake City market were becoming more flexible, and she was pleasantly surprised when the seller covered many of her closing costs and made multiple home repairs.

“They kept fixing things for me too,” Arnold said. “Everything I asked for, they granted.”

Data supports this trend: Gen Z now accounts for one in four loans to first-time homebuyers, according to Intercontinental Exchange. A recent Redfin report even found Gen Z’s homeownership rate is outpacing Millennials and Gen X when they were the same age.

Still, challenges remain. According to Susan Wachter, a professor of real estate at the Wharton School, the affordability crisis is pushing many young adults—particularly in minority groups—out of the market entirely.

“There are difficulties and challenges to buying a home,” she said. “Some of which are more burdensome than on previous generations.”

Even so, a determined group of Gen Zers is rewriting the script. Whether by saving early, relocating for affordability, or finding innovative mortgage deals, they’re showing that owning a home is still possible — even in one of the most difficult housing markets in recent memory.