Agreed reddit attracts the folks with the loudest voices but doesn't necessarily represent a place. I've met all sorts in Vermont, but generally folks here lean much longer than the rest of NE.

I was in a pretty similar spot when I moved to VT 9 years ago. After looking at housing prices it seemed like we would never own, or have to move somewhere else. Then my partner found an ad from Habitat for Humanity. I didn't think we would qualify, but we did. I don't know what Habitat looks like down in Middlebury, but I would reach out to them see if they have any projects in your area.

Or maybe "Casey Jones you better not drive through the notch"