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Owning a home is a major milestone that's been part of the traditional American Dream. For many folks, being able to close on a mortgage is a sign they've done things right and achieved a certain level of success.

Unfortunately, more people are starting to question whether the American Dream is still alive and well. Today, many folks who have yet to own homes wonder if they ever will.

As another sign of the times, current homeowners are struggling to keep up with their recurring payments. Some are even spending significant majorities of their monthly earnings just on housing, making them "house poor" by definition.

New findings from Clever's real estate experts shine a light on the struggles many Americans are facing, including those who have newly reached homeowner status.

A widespread problem

43% of Americans who just purchased their homes admit to having issues with consistently paying their mortgages on time. 44% have also accumulated debts outside of homeownership recently. What's truly telling is that 47% of new homebuyers believe they've bitten off more than they can chew financially.

Believe it or not, the information uncovered by real estate experts gets even worse. Clever also discovered that 82% of new homeowners struggle with regret. They ultimately feel that reaching the milestone of owning a home didn't make them happier.

Of course, the warning signs were there all along. Many of today's newest homebuyers ended up accepting mortgages with interest rates higher than they planned for. In the absence of financial stability, this can easily put a strain on anyone's wallet.

Americans' finances aren't likely to change anytime soon

As everyday folks struggle to keep up with their mortgages, the costs of living aren't going down. Though with the retail and restaurant industries significantly cutting back on staffers and operations, more folks seeing the income they rely upon gradually disappear.

In order for new homebuyers to keep up with mortgages and reap their benefits of ownership, they need financial security. Unfortunately, the rise of inflation directly impacts interest rates, creating a vicious cycle for Americans who are barely getting by.

All things considered, many folks will see their economic situations worsen before they improve.