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State of housing costs in the US. Where does it end?

Tin Roof said:
It'll happen in the large metro areas like Des Moines, CR, etc. There still will be some oasis areas out here.
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I might be overly jaded because of my location if I'm being honest though. Further and further south is just becoming the northeast and we're at the point where I can't afford anything within 2 hours of my office that won't be a 2.5-3+ hour commute unless I wanted to live in the middle of the actual ghetto and I don't. That's including trying to buy land and build something myself and at this point I don't really want to invest that kind of time and money into this area anyway. Especially since my boss wants to retire in 5 years and I don't see this company continuing to run without him and his wife.

Anyway, yeah those little oasis' you talk about just don't exist out here anymore.
 
rockota said:
Salaries are impacted by cost of living... cost of living is impacted by taxes and social programs.

That's why many companies have 4 tiers of "cost of labor" scales... Tier 1 - NYC, SFO, Seattle. Tier 2 - Northern high-taxed states. Tier 3 - other... Tier 4 south.

6 years ago, poverty level for a family of 4 was $126K in Palo Alto... according my employer.
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ah, I see the connection now. Makes sense.

That Palo Alto number actually makes sense to me. Home prices there are insane for a regular ol suburban house.
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dntsdad said:
Yep, maybe you are right. I read about those goldminers who came out west and bought 10 acres to mine and pan for 2 pinches of gold dust!

Fuck, they did it, I guess that translates to today about as perfectly as comparing buying a 1000sq ft in fucking 1981 and a new Celica that probably cost $3500?

This is literally the dumbest shit I have read in the thread thus far.

I bought the house I live in now for 92000 in 1997. Zillow has it at $417

That is a 450% increase. You are saying that average wages, especially non college people, went up anywhere close to that? GTFOH with you nonsense.

That compared nothing to today at all either.

I didn' t buy until I was 31 and that was with a wife a two incomes. I was the only one in my friend group that didn't own a house by then. It was rare to see someone from my area/economic group/whatever not own a house by 30. Now, from what I see, it's flipped. Its maybe not rare to see someone, especially single, have a home under 30 but it's not common by any means.
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i will say it again, anyone who wants a fucking house will buy one. yes inflation is a bitch but housing is still very attainable. its is sure as hell not the best time. but it is also not the worst.
and i bought my place in 97 for 95k. it would do 450k or so now a days. i think i was making 15 bucks an hour with a stay at home wife and 3 kids. now i make 45 or so. but i don't do all the side hustling i did back then.
 
Atlanta is the worst piece of shit in the country. Unless you like 100 mile commuters from all directions on shit roads and traffic out the ass. The burbs and housing prices were good 30 miles out from atlanta before covid. But not anymore.
 
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Motorcharge said:
Exactly, and it just gets worse and worse the further apart things are. You can tell Europeans that til they're blue in the face and they'll just smugly act like they're wrong. But they come here once and it's an enormous culture shock to them just how big this country actually is.
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My sister lives in Santa Monica and worked in downtown LA, so that 12 or 15 mile drive was usually over an hour, and true stop and go, so I understand her not wanting to drive. She's spent a lot of time in Europe and thinks trains are the answer to everything, ignoring all the downsides we've discussed here. Her and my BIL came out for Christmas one year and they wanted me to pick them up at the AmTrack station, well sis, that station is 77 miles from my house one way, I'm damn sure not driving 300 miles so that you don't have to fly like a normal person.
 
Roc Doc said:
My sister lives in Santa Monica and worked in downtown LA, so that 12 or 15 mile drive was usually over an hour, and true stop and go, so I understand her not wanting to drive. She's spent a lot of time in Europe and thinks trains are the answer to everything, ignoring all the downsides we've discussed here. Her and my BIL came out for Christmas one year and they wanted me to pick them up at the AmTrack station, well sis, that station is 77 miles from my house one way, I'm damn sure not driving 300 miles so that you don't have to fly like a normal person.
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I don't even get why they would take a train vs flying in the first place. Every single time I've looked at Amtrak vs flying it's like 2-3x as expensive and takes 10x as long to get anywhere.

I looked at it last weekend thinking about going to DC for the day. It's 100 miles, but that 100 miles can be a 5 hour drive and parking or driving in DC is a pain in the ass anyway. Figured maybe $50 round trip on the train. Nope, over $200 if I didn't want to leave at like 5am and come back at noon and it's a 3 hour trip on the train one way. Like why does this railway even exist then? It's less time and less expensive to drive than it is to take a train that's already heavily subsidized.
 
Motorcharge said:
I don't even get why they would take a train vs flying in the first place. Every single time I've looked at Amtrak vs flying it's like 2-3x as expensive and takes 10x as long to get anywhere.

I looked at it last weekend thinking about going to DC for the day. It's 100 miles, but that 100 miles can be a 5 hour drive and parking or driving in DC is a pain in the ass anyway. Figured maybe $50 round trip on the train. Nope, over $200 if I didn't want to leave at like 5am and come back at noon and it's a 3 hour trip on the train one way. Like why does this railway even exist then? It's less time and less expensive to drive than it is to take a train that's already heavily subsidized.
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And that still doesn't cover the cost. Doesn't Amtrak get subsidies of something like a billion every year?
 
Here is a little tip for all the Cali folks complaining about cost of housing in Cali.....


California is NOT representative of a normal or semi-normal economy, particularly for the last 20 years. You voted for it, you get to enjoy the fruits of your choices. The best way to handle it is to vote with your feet, move somewhere else. There are plenty of jobs all over the nation. Yes, you will take a pay cut to leave the socialism utopia, but you may very likely take a bigger cut in living expenses, and end up income positive. You are not chained to that sinking ship. Just learn from that fuggin disaster and vote so as to avoid doin it again.

Now others here will clamor to hush me up and demand cali folks stay in cali. There are plenty of conservatives and moderates suffering in Cali and would be the first to leave. The bluest of the cali doucebags would never leave no matter how bad things get, and are not ashamed to say so (lookin at you SandyJ), ....which is fine by me.
 
clodhopper said:
Now others here will clamor to hush me up and demand cali folks stay in cali. There are plenty of conservatives and moderates suffering in Cali and would be the first to leave. The bluest of the cali doucebags would never leave no matter how bad things get, and are not ashamed to say so (lookin at you SandyJ), ....which is fine by me.
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A CA conservative is like a 1990 Democrat. The rest of us don't want them moving here either.
 
Motorcharge said:
I don't even get why they would take a train vs flying in the first place. Every single time I've looked at Amtrak vs flying it's like 2-3x as expensive and takes 10x as long to get anywhere.

I looked at it last weekend thinking about going to DC for the day. It's 100 miles, but that 100 miles can be a 5 hour drive and parking or driving in DC is a pain in the ass anyway. Figured maybe $50 round trip on the train. Nope, over $200 if I didn't want to leave at like 5am and come back at noon and it's a 3 hour trip on the train one way. Like why does this railway even exist then? It's less time and less expensive to drive than it is to take a train that's already heavily subsidized.
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It exists because it is subsidized, it is a darling project for some senator. Come to think of it, didnt Ol Joe go on and on about ridin that train every day?
 
Motorcharge said:
I don't even get why they would take a train vs flying in the first place. Every single time I've looked at Amtrak vs flying it's like 2-3x as expensive and takes 10x as long to get anywhere.

I looked at it last weekend thinking about going to DC for the day. It's 100 miles, but that 100 miles can be a 5 hour drive and parking or driving in DC is a pain in the ass anyway. Figured maybe $50 round trip on the train. Nope, over $200 if I didn't want to leave at like 5am and come back at noon and it's a 3 hour trip on the train one way. Like why does this railway even exist then? It's less time and less expensive to drive than it is to take a train that's already heavily subsidized.
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She's wannabe Eurotrash.

There's that quote, something like, "Trains never go where you want to go and always at the wrong time", or such.
 
clodhopper said:
Here is a little tip for all the Cali folks complaining about cost of housing in Cali.....


California is NOT representative of a normal or semi-normal economy, particularly for the last 20 years. You voted for it, you get to enjoy the fruits of your choices. The best way to handle it is to vote with your feet, move somewhere else. There are plenty of jobs all over the nation. Yes, you will take a pay cut to leave the socialism utopia, but you may very likely take a bigger cut in living expenses, and end up income positive. You are not chained to that sinking ship. Just learn from that fuggin disaster and vote so as to avoid doin it again.

Now others here will clamor to hush me up and demand cali folks stay in cali. There are plenty of conservatives and moderates suffering in Cali and would be the first to leave. The bluest of the cali doucebags would never leave no matter how bad things get, and are not ashamed to say so (lookin at you SandyJ), ....which is fine by me.
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Fuck that. Those swine made their bed.
 
clodhopper said:
Here is a little tip for all the Cali folks complaining about cost of housing in Cali.....


California is NOT representative of a normal or semi-normal economy, particularly for the last 20 years. You voted for it, you get to enjoy the fruits of your choices. The best way to handle it is to vote with your feet, move somewhere else. There are plenty of jobs all over the nation. Yes, you will take a pay cut to leave the socialism utopia, but you may very likely take a bigger cut in living expenses, and end up income positive. You are not chained to that sinking ship. Just learn from that fuggin disaster and vote so as to avoid doin it again.

Now others here will clamor to hush me up and demand cali folks stay in cali. There are plenty of conservatives and moderates suffering in Cali and would be the first to leave. The bluest of the cali doucebags would never leave no matter how bad things get, and are not ashamed to say so (lookin at you SandyJ), ....which is fine by me.
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But let's give California credit with Prop 13, and the property tax thing.

Texas should have done that DECADES ago.
 
grumpy356 said:
But let's give California credit with Prop 13, and the property tax thing.

Texas should have done that DECADES ago.
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Can't argue there. They shouldn't be legal at all, but at a minimum property taxes should stop when the property is paid off and owned outright.

Sandy Johnson said:
If you think I love California because of my political views... that's fine. I'm not here to impress people.
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Good thing. :flipoff2:
 
Grnjp92 said:
Then comes the why is this road dirt? And why don't I have this service? Blight
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Gotta maintain that backwater economy so that we can ensure we’re too poor to replace bridges that get washed out. :flipoff2:
 
zlathim said:
It starts out with shit like this: "Wow, my vehicle registration was so cheap in ______ compared to California, they could charge twice as much and I'd still be happy!" :stirthepot:
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Yep, or shit that you or I never think twice about feels like it should be illegal to them so they don't bother fighting it when some other retard from CA tries to get it to be a law. A CA conservatives threshold for bullshit is a lot different than actual conservatives because they're used to putting up with more of it.
 
clodhopper said:
So incredibly ironic coming from the guy who blames every life challenge on Boomers. :shaking:
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I blame a good chunk of the state of society and macroeconomic conditions on boomers and not much else.


Regardless, the fact that the worst of both groups will escape consequences is an absolute travesty.
 
Motorcharge said:
I don't even get why they would take a train vs flying in the first place. Every single time I've looked at Amtrak vs flying it's like 2-3x as expensive and takes 10x as long to get anywhere.

I looked at it last weekend thinking about going to DC for the day. It's 100 miles, but that 100 miles can be a 5 hour drive and parking or driving in DC is a pain in the ass anyway. Figured maybe $50 round trip on the train. Nope, over $200 if I didn't want to leave at like 5am and come back at noon and it's a 3 hour trip on the train one way. Like why does this railway even exist then? It's less time and less expensive to drive than it is to take a train that's already heavily subsidized.
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Fucking USA has it all wrong with public transit. I have been overseas in Europe and Aisa. Public transportation via rail and trolly is a blast. Or you rent or buy a scooter to get around. Taxies also are another good option and are not crazy expensive. :stirthepot::stirthepot::stirthepot:
 
DMG said:
I think entitlement is a factor. People used to live where they could afford to buy a house. They bought cheap starter or fixer homes. They lived with their parents longer.

Now they rant on social media about the housing crisis when they can’t buy something awesome in a trendy area on a baristas salary. They are convinced that they deserve everything their way and won’t make the compromises previous generations made. And it’s all the fault of someone else.
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I think this is very valid.

My dad's first house was a red-tagged shit hole, he still doesn't know how he got the bank to lend him the money for it. He got off work every day, went home, crawled under the house, replaced a floor joist, ate a shitty dinner, and went to sleep in the red tagged house, just to do it again the next day. This type of sweat equity continued until it was a decent house. He traded up a couple times and by the time I was born, he lived in a pretty decent house, and owned a 4 unit apartment building that is between shitty and decent. He still just owns those two properties, he's retired from a modest union job, and is headed to Norway for a 2 week motorcycle tour with buddies.

Now I'm in my first house, bought in 2021, expensive AF on two incomes, tiny (half the size of the house my wife or I grew up in), needs little things everywhere, but we're stoked on it. My wife and I both have employable college degrees (marketing and engineering). We still struggled to make it happen, my dad loaned us 25% of our down payment (we saved the rest). My brother in law is the guy that's saying it's not possible to buy a home here, but he's also the guy complaining every time his rent goes up.

Around here, it feels like most homes you'd want to raise your family in are occupied by Boomers who raised their families there, and never left. This is the case for my parents and in-laws and most other Boomers I know. I think part of the solution would be if there were more attractive retirement communities. My in-laws like the idea of downsizing into a retirement community, but they don't want to leave the town they spent the last 30+ years in. My dad wants to stay in his neighborhood, but there's nothing smaller worth downsizing to.

I wonder what will happen as the Boomers start to die. On the one hand, there maybe more homes on the market. On the other hand, Millennials will have more capital to drive the cost of housing up higher.
 
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