Keeping up with the Jones Syndrome (Charlotte, Newport: relocating, transplants, luxury)

[anifani821]

Originally Posted by Miker2069

Bingo- the apex of the discussion. The rule of thumb- if you look wealthy, most likely your net assets are probably below zero. The millionaire next door is an excellent book/study on that topic.

So true - and I love that book!!! Just look at Warren Buffett (sp?) He has lived in the same house for 40 years. Just a nice home - nothing that special - except that it is his home - and he enjoys living in it!

[sheena]

Originally Posted by himain

Try living in Miami

LOL.........or out west.

[anifani821]

Originally Posted by BrianH1970

Oh yeah? Well my butler's bringing the second little dish of caviar in my finest china. Afterwards I'm going to take the 2010 Lexus out for a spin (when you're me they roll out my cars...plural...a year or two in advance), then come back to my estate that Biltmore was found to be jealous of, put on my smoking jacket (even though I don't smoke), have one of my french maids massage my feet while I watch something on my 100 inch screen. Although I have to say that I think it's time for a new servant, there was one slight streak on window #117 and that's just unacceptable.

And laugh at all of the little people.

Meet you later at the Club.

[Mvn2nc]

Originally Posted by cynwldkat

Go check out CA! That is all it is about there. Not only houses, cars but also who has the most body improvments!

AS i am reading through these posts the same thing is going through my mind!!!! Bu i'll add the clothes are a biggy too!

[MikeyKid]

This syndrome probably dates back to pre-USA... We should blame the Brits! :P

It's really hard to avoid it completely - you see Jones everywhere... I grew up with very little and I clearly remember things like dinners of pasta with garlic/oil and using 5gal cans to keep the oil burner running near the end of the month. 25k on a watch? I have one word for it - idiot!

Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate quality... but things start to hit another level and become all about "appearances". I don't know, things seem very different now - man I swear I'm not getting old. Maybe its always been this way and I missed it.

[mullman]

As a native who travels frequently, I really do not think Charlotte is in the same league as Miami or LA with regards to the subject at hand.

I will probably ride the Vespa to work to tomorrow and leave my freshly waxed BMW in the garage. Not joking.

[tripleh]

I'm afraid I do not understand the most "prestigious" zip code comment. Is this a 90210 syndrome or something? Are you saying it really matters if the house across the street is in a different zip code, but structually and visually it is just as good, then that zip would make a difference? Heh, somehow this makes me chuckle.

Of course, everyone knows Charlotte is a transplant city (probably more around 70% now). Perhaps one of the motivating factors for this is you have people moving from everywhere into burbs with one another and they have to "prove" themselves, sort of like what you have to do everytime you get a new manager/supervisor.

I can certainly vouch for seeing a lot of this going on in S. Charlotte and Waxhaw areas, as the developments each seem to keep trying to build a bigger house.

A lot of our work recently has been in the Marvin Creek development, and its crazy house big those houses are!! When you go by and the developers sign on the road outside says "From the 800s...." that is a sign for me to keep on driving! However, they just seem to keep getting bigger and bigger.

Having been born/raised/lived here forever, I couldn't imagine even a big house on Lake Norman costing that much, although I could see it being close.

However, it is true though, that the difference between newly wealthy and old money can be usually be seen. People who are newly wealthy tend to like to show it off a lot. Old money is probably living in your house next door and you would never know it by their house, car, or other material possessions. The Millionaire Next Door has a lot of truth to it on this.

[nyxmike]

Unless your jealous or envious, does it really matter whether someone wants to drive a nice car, or wear nice clothes, or have nice things? Most people who do can clearly afford it, or it is a hobby of theirs (they enjoy cars or fashion). It is the people who are living by the skin of their teeth in order to have these things are the ones that look like fools (and they usually don't have nice cars or nice clothes because all their money is invested in their mansion - just look at 90% of Union County "luxury" communities and you will see what I mean. I live in one and witness it daily. Most likely more than half the people that live in my neighborhood can barely afford to).

Charlotte is nothing like Miami, NY, LA etc in that sense because 1)we don't have the large amount of people that those places do and 2)we don't have as many wealthy people as those places do. The more people, the more wealthy people there are. However, Charlotte, for its size, has a pretty large amount of wealth and that, I think, is a good thing. It shows that their are opportunities to succeed here (plus we get to have better things than other cities our size, like dining and shopping).

[Asheville Native]

Chasing someone that feels happiness is measured by material things, primarily for the purpose of showing off is really immature, and it certainly isn't true happiness.

If keeping up with these materialists for show is another persons definition of success, then I can only pity them as they have clearly failed to achieve happiness along their journey.

[nyxmike]

Originally Posted by Asheville Native

Chasing someone that feels happiness is measured by material things, primarily for the purpose of showing off is really immature, and it certainly isn't true happiness.

If keeping up with these materialists for show is another persons definition of success, then I can only pity them as they have clearly failed to achieve happiness along their journey.

And how do you know if these people are happy or not? Just because someone drives a nice car or wears nice clothes, etc, doesn't mean they are rich or trying to keep with anyone. Like I said, maybe they enjoy cars or fashion. Is it any of your business? And why do you care so much (unless your jealous of these people)? I would rather live somewhere with opportunity and wealth instead of somewhere economically depressed. For example, just look at some parts of eastern NC - you think those people are happy? I doubt it.