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I beleive that owning a home is the reward of hard work. Saving up for the down payment and appreciating what you've worked hard for. The "right" is being given an equal opportunity to work hard to earn that dream.
I beleive that owning a home is the reward of hard work. Saving up for the down payment and appreciating what you've worked hard for. The "right" is being given an equal opportunity to work hard to earn that dream.
Even then you don't necessarily deserve what many people have come to expect. An assembly line worker shouldn't expect a mansion, and we as a population shouldn't expect much more than our grandparents had.
We don't need 2500+ square feet and four bathrooms, and people can't seem to wrap their heads around the fact that by buying half as much house they can pay it off 4 times as fast because they won't have compound interest on an extra $100K-$250K working against them.
What ever happened to people buying little starter houses, paying them off, and then saving some money to trade up?
I'd argue to own a home is a right but not an entitlement. In other words, you have a right to own one but you are not necessarily entitled to get one simply for existing. I'd argue the various rules and regulations meant to give corporations (municipalities are corporations) a monopoly/stranglehold on things (through building codes, permits, property taxes, requiring people hook up to their utilities, etc.) infringe on that right and should be done away with to make it possible for any person who works and is capable of handling their money to build his/her own home any way he/she sees fit. I'm against credit as a rule of thumb. Build as you can afford to do so. Can't afford to build a 3 bedroom house right now? Build what you can afford to, add on as you can afford to, debt free. Instant gratification cheapens things anyways.
Even then you don't necessarily deserve what many people have come to expect. An assembly line worker shouldn't expect a mansion, and we as a population shouldn't expect much more than our grandparents had.
We don't need 2500+ square feet and four bathrooms, and people can't seem to wrap their heads around the fact that by buying half as much house they can pay it off 4 times as fast because they won't have compound interest on an extra $100K-$250K working against them.
What ever happened to people buying little starter houses, paying them off, and then saving some money to trade up?
I agree with you. People should live within their means. Our society is way too hung up on having the best of everything. Hence the reason we are in such a poor economic state.
Everybody should have the right to own a home. Whether or not they can is up to them as far as their ability to pay for it and to finance it. A poor person can find a place to live and with section 8 assistance it is sometimes a pretty nice place. Others may get stuck in a slum or in the sticks if they can't afford better. Property taxes are also a major factor in people not being able to afford to live in their homes. Are Obama or McCain promising to cut property taxes? Thats more of a local and state issue.
In southeastern Pa my county is spearheading a movement to abolish the property tax and replace it with a sales and income tax but are meetingt fierce opposition from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh area lawmakers.
We don't need 2500+ square feet and four bathrooms,
We may not "need" - but we can "want". And, if I can afford it, I should be able to have what I "want". My home, for my wife and myself and our foster daughter, is about 5,000 sq.ft. We will be adding to it within the next 12 months.
Could we "do" with less? Probably. But, we don't want to.
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