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This looks like a winner. Seattle is somewhere between SD and Portland. Not sure about Denver--Denver is growing at a fast clip, but not ridiculously fast and Denver seems to be quite developer friendly while also doing a decent job in building infrastructure to keep up. The pace of building out mass transit in Denver is impressive for a US city.
Denver is not pro growth. Denver restricts development to keep the urban core dense and even forbids development on the whole northwest corner of the metro area because it's a buffalo preserve. As if all the rest of vast unpopulated Colorado isn't enough for the freaking buffalo.
When I made this thread, I actually thought all 6 would be a lot closer than expected. I knew Seattle and San Diego (especially the latter) would be the most expensive overall but I was also under the impression that over the years the others had closed the gap. Especially with Seattle. That idea turned out to be a crock.
Phoenix: FAIR. I am no fan of Phoenix but the home prices are FAIR in my opinion. The median home price is $236,000 dollars in Maricopa County which is about the national average. Most homes in Phoenix do not have basements so many homes are small in size. For example in a middle-class, decent suburb 2,000 square foot homes will run around $270,000. The economy is very good for many in the Phoenix area even though the per-capita income is level. Phoenix also builds lots of single-family home inventory compared to other cities which keeps inventory levels decent.
Minneapolis: FAIR. Minneapolis has a median home price of $213,000 which is FAIR. The economy is very good, most of the homes are older and will need more updates which raises the cost. The property taxes are on the upper end of average also.
Denver: EXPENSIVE. The median single family is 361,000 dollars in the metro area but if you want to live in close to downtown in Highland which is mainly single family homes for 2,000 square feet your talking $600,000 for a single family home with a small yard.
Inventory levels are very, very low in Denver. It used to be comperable to Phoenix on price but since 2010 the cost of housing has gone up to bubble levels.
The quality of housing in the city of Denver proper is very good as it is mainly brick-homes.
San Diego: EXPENSIVE. It is very expensive in many areas but there are pockets where one can still get a single family for $400,000 in areas La Mesa, El Cajon or Chula Vista. Seems like the median home price is 532,000 dollars but there is a wide variance between Coronado and El Cajon.
The quality of the older homes in California is mediocre.
Portland: EXPENSIVE
Seattle: RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE $604,000 dollars for a median single family home seems excessive especially considering the high property taxes to make up for the state's lack of income tax. Tacoma which is half an hour away has a median home price of $211,000. Seems worth it for distance for a much lower price as who can enjoy city amenities 24/7 when people have to work and sleep.
Clearly Phoenix. Why is Minneapolis winning the poll?
Minneapolis has a significantly higher pay scale than Phoenix. In terms of absolute prices, Phoenix is cheaper. Relative to what people get paid, Minneapolis is more affordable.
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