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I lurk on about 20 and actively post on about 5 forums here. Have noticed a real trend lately in the ubiqitous 'moving to area X, looking for housing' posts. Gotta tell you, what keeps getting asked for, it doesn't exist.
Example-and this is only barely exaggerated: 'Looking for a large house, new construction, no cookie-cutter, walking distance from top-end public schools and shopping, but with complete privacy, low crime, no traffic, large acreage with 10-year home warranty. Our budget is [$200,000 less than normal for the area]'
I guess the thing that is bothering me most is the constant 'no cookie-cutter'. Cookie-cutter, if it can even be defined, keeps the price down-and obviously that low price is what is attracting buyers, because people keep buying them. If they only bought 'non cookie cutters', nobody would build the existing floor plans.
Cheap. Quality construction. Great area. Pick two. Maybe pick one. No, you can't have it all on your budget.
I know! I hear that, too. I live in the Southwest and here's what makes me laugh the most: the part about the big lot.
Where I live in Tucson (and this is also true over much of the entire former desert (Phoenix, Las Vegas, etc.) housing developments are put on what was formerly ranch land. By builders who, needless to say, are not building homes as a charity endeavor. They shove the most houses in on the smallest lots possible and assign greenspace, in most cases, only as they are forced to by zoning law or by what their competitors are doing in any given price range. It's simple economics of the capitalist kind.
When I point out under $200,000 homes in Tucson that ARE on bigger lots, they are mostly places that were built pre-1980s and are not the California contemporary style that everyone wants today. (The best schools! Great rooms! Master suites! Home office! Granite! Kitchen islands the size of Rhode Island!) I say, "It's cute. It's mid-century modern. It has a pool out back." And they sneer. "Don't you understand? I have two children and a dog. They need a yard." Well then, you're going custom so get out your wallet. Impossible to believe that once most middle-class families had three kids and 1.5 bathrooms. Did somebody pass a law saying each child is entitled to at least 600 sq. ft. and his own spa?
A big downside of the current real estate market is that buyers all expect a steal. They think that everyone who's selling is in financial distress and they should reap the benefits. Little do they realize that the vast majority of foreclosures selling today are NOT in the move-in condition that is another one of their must-haves.
I honestly don't know how anyone today can be a Realtor. I'd be an alcoholic inside a year. I can't even watch people buy houses on HGTV. Next time someone tells you they don't want cookie-cutter, repeat the list of their demands. Then say, "That's exactly what everyone else wants, so I guess you DO want cookie-cutter."
I'm part of the small-is-beautiful crowd. Low taxes! Easy-to-care for lots! Repair and reuse! Save resources! Don't waste on utilities! Live close-in and save gas! Give me an Atomic Ranch and a modest redecorating budget any old day.
Drive through the "older" areas of any town and look at the houses. They are cookie cutter houses too. I see this "cookie cutter" complaint on the MN boards all the time, from the city dwellers, and if you drive through their neighborhoods, there are 3 styles of houses there too. They just have different paint jobs now. Unless you live in a development that is TRULY custom on every home, every neighborhood is a cookie cutter development, even if it is 60 years old.
I know! I hear that, too. I live in the Southwest and here's what makes me laugh the most: the part about the big lot.
Where I live in Tucson (and this is also true over much of the entire former desert (Phoenix, Las Vegas, etc.) housing developments are put on what was formerly ranch land. By builders who, needless to say, are not building homes as a charity endeavor. They shove the most houses in on the smallest lots possible and assign greenspace, in most cases, only as they are forced to by zoning law or by what their competitors are doing in any given price range. It's simple economics of the capitalist kind.
When I point out under $200,000 homes in Tucson that ARE on bigger lots, they are mostly places that were built pre-1980s and are not the California contemporary style that everyone wants today. (The best schools! Great rooms! Master suites! Home office! Granite! Kitchen islands the size of Rhode Island!) I say, "It's cute. It's mid-century modern. It has a pool out back." And they sneer. "Don't you understand? I have two children and a dog. They need a yard." Well then, you're going custom so get out your wallet. Impossible to believe that once most middle-class families had three kids and 1.5 bathrooms. Did somebody pass a law saying each child is entitled to at least 600 sq. ft. and his own spa?
A big downside of the current real estate market is that buyers all expect a steal. They think that everyone who's selling is in financial distress and they should reap the benefits. Little do they realize that the vast majority of foreclosures selling today are NOT in the move-in condition that is another one of their must-haves.
I honestly don't know how anyone today can be a Realtor. I'd be an alcoholic inside a year. I can't even watch people buy houses on HGTV. Next time someone tells you they don't want cookie-cutter, repeat the list of their demands. Then say, "That's exactly what everyone else wants, so I guess you DO want cookie-cutter."
I'm part of the small-is-beautiful crowd. Low taxes! Easy-to-care for lots! Repair and reuse! Save resources! Don't waste on utilities! Live close-in and save gas! Give me an Atomic Ranch and a modest redecorating budget any old day.
All of that was awesome. Every word!
Quote:
Originally Posted by golfgal
Drive through the "older" areas of any town and look at the houses. They are cookie cutter houses too. I see this "cookie cutter" complaint on the MN boards all the time, from the city dwellers, and if you drive through their neighborhoods, there are 3 styles of houses there too. They just have different paint jobs now. Unless you live in a development that is TRULY custom on every home, every neighborhood is a cookie cutter development, even if it is 60 years old.
Yes and no. A lot of houses in this neighborhood were built to plans, but my floor plan and frontage are unique to this street. There are no other houses for blocks in either direction that look like mine. Even the ones that do "repeat" look different enough on the outside that it's not easy to tell. Most of them don't have painted brick exteriors either. The builders just used different materials so all the houses wouldn't look the same. About the only differences on this street in the 50+ years since these houses were built are the cars in the driveways and the trees...they've gotten a lot bigger. (I'm sure the interiors look very different too.)
I see posts like that in the FL forum all the time. People want a 2000 sf fully updated house near the beach and good schools for $200K. Sorry-no.
I think one of the issues in this area is that the news media will have you think that since real estate values have cratered that a house hasn't sold in the entire state of FL. And while the market has cratered things have still sold and anything near the beach is still desireable. A house that sold for $700K a few years ago might sell for $350K now but most of the time you won't get it for $200K.
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They want big house, big lot, walkable neighborhood within walking distance to stores and restaurants in a great school district.
Most of Pittsburgh's suburbs aren't walkable to stores and restaurants. The residential and commercial areas are completely separate.
The areas that have this don't have large yards and the houses are small by today's standards.
Maybe planned communities have these things in the west, but older cities in the east just don't have these types of neighborhoods.
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Planned communities out West are mostly planned to have as much housing crammed into the least space possible.
Profit motive is alive and well; if people paid for the extra land and walkability, it would be common. They just want cheap, in general. Having a sidewalk in a planned neighborhood is actually occasionally advertised as a bonus.
Oh - I hear this all the time too! Being in Charleston, I think it's even worse. They want that old Charleston house feel; which actually only exists in very few areas. Those are mansions and cost in excess of $5M!! Of course, their budget is 200K-300K. Um - not gonna happen.
I have decided to blame this all on House Hunters from HGTV. Terrible show! Always these first time home buyers that want granite, large kitchens, large lot, pool, large rooms, move-in ready, etc for 200K. Irritating in the extreme. You have to take the regional real estate into account. Quite frankly, that just doesn't exist in some locations for the money they are willing to spend. Of course, that exists here but be ready to pay 500K or more but they don't want to do that!
What you are seeing is the death of the American Dream. Median household income in the USA is about $55,000 a year. Rule of thumb is that you can afford a mortgage of 3x or 3.5x your income. Thus, an average middle class family with 20% down can afford a $200k house. You can't blame them for shopping for something they like in that price range.
My wife and I wore out three real estate agents looking at every home in the county every weekend for three months, then found the ideal place by accident while driving down the road. It wasn't even on our list of places to look at. We just saw the For Sale sign and liked the looks, so we stopped. The deals are out there, you just have to look. And look. And look. And look.
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Unless you live in a development that is TRULY custom on every home, every neighborhood is a cookie cutter development, even if it is 60 years old.
(I'm sure the interiors look very different too.)
