The first thing Willem Holzer checks out when he's visiting a home for sale is the boiler room.

The water heater is new, but the boiler looks from like the 60s.

It just looks rusty. I could be totally off. It looks like an older boiler.

So, I mean, that's just something to just keep an eye on.

Holzer and his spouse, Roxanne Alberts, own a condo a few blocks from here in New York City's bedside neighborhood.

But they'd like more space.

We're trying to have kids, so that's why we're looking to expand.

Otherwise, our current apartment is actually absolutely perfect.

The home they're visiting is a four-story townhouse listed at $2.35 million.

And they say they wouldn't be able to afford it without some help from their family.

To make it work for their budget, they'd also have to rent part of it out.

I mean, I just think the prices are just like insane.

I mean, just my gut reaction, it's like even like four years ago when we bought, it was already crazy.

But you think you're like making some sort of investment for the future.

But it's kind of limiting at the same time.

If you drew up a list of words often associated with New York City, expensive would probably be near the top.

As a voter, Holzer calls affordability his number

one issue. He says it's a concern for him if they end up putting part of their next property,

whether it's this home or another, up for rent. You have to make sure that people can afford to

even pay for what you're asking for or else you're just like sitting on dead property.

I mean, if no one can afford to pay for it, then what's the point of owning it? I'm Sabrina Siddiqui, and this is What's News Sunday. Over the last few weeks, I've been reporting on what the rising cost of living could mean for who will control Congress next year. In this episode, we talked to some of the New Yorkers navigating higher housing costs and

to Zaraan Mamdani, the progressive mayor who swept into office with a campaign focused on

...