Section 8 in Eagan (Burnsville: for sale, apartment complex, renters)

[lalife]

I have been going to open houses in hopes of buying a condo or townhouse. I find the Eagan area quite attractive because of the open spaces and newer housing. Anyway, there are condos on Blue Jay Way close to Yankee Doodle that "seemed" to be a good buy. However, I was wondering why a gorgeous unit in particular is still on the market and at a very fair price. Further investigation shows that several condos in that same area of Blue Jay Way are for sale........Hmmmm... I wondered if maybe assessments for building repairs were causing people to flee......???...But, now I am pretty sure of the reason. THE REASON BEING THAT THERE IS A SECTION 8 APARTMENT BUILDING LESS THAN A QUARTER MILE AWAY.. Forget about buying property next to that!

I have read on here in the past that Eagan has several Section 8 buildings. Is this true? If so, where are they located? I picked up a Rent411 book to get ideas and only found a few.

[MNNative]

Excuse my ignorance, but Section 8 housing is the housing that is provided on a sliding scale based on income, right?

Why exactly should one "forget about buying property next to that!"?

We currently live in a nice Burnsville neighborhood that I believe has Section 8 housing (at least that was one reason my friend sited that she wanted to leave...she is also secretly prejudiced...something about going to the park and "ethnic" people not liking her black dog?...) I guess had she never mentioned anything I wouldn't have even had a clue...our neighborhood is quiet, good schools and actually sought after. Yes, we have diversity but the neighborhood is doing well regardless.

[Simple Living]

Originally Posted by MNNative

Excuse my ignorance, ...

You aren't displaying the ignorance. You're displaying kindness and compassion.

[Slig]

It obviously depends on the tenants. Most of the time it probably makes no difference. The sad reality is that alot of people in the suburbs have the same attitude as Lalife does when looking for to invest in a home or condo, which means that selling a place in an environment like that could prove to be more difficult. Of course you don't know whether those properties will be section 8 rentals in 5-10 years. Owners change, renters change, etc. Where I am currently residing (for a few more weeks anyway) is completely covered by section 8 duplexes on the other side of the street. That has nothing to do with leaving and I'm pretty sure none of those tenants were responsible for breaking all the windows on my car as it parked outside last spring. However, from a homebuyer's/investor's perspective I would be cautious about buying a house in the immediate area for the reason stated above.

[lalife]

Originally Posted by Slig

It obviously depends on the tenants. Most of the time it probably makes no difference. The sad reality is that alot of people in the suburbs have the same attitude as Lalife does when looking for to invest in a home or condo, which means that selling a place in an environment like that could prove to be more difficult. Of course you don't know whether those properties will be section 8 rentals in 5-10 years. Owners change, renters change, etc. Where I am currently residing (for a few more weeks anyway) is completely covered by section 8 duplexes on the other side of the street. That has nothing to do with leaving and I'm pretty sure none of those tenants were responsible for breaking all the windows on my car as it parked outside last spring. However, from a homebuyer's/investor's perspective I would be cautious about buying a house in the immediate area for the reason stated above.

You hit that right on the head. Thanks Slig.

For others that want to get on their liberal highhorse and claim that my statements come from prejudice. I am a Native American who works 45+ hours a week at a billion dollar corporation in the field of International Trade. I have attended college to get this position. I do not drink or do drugs and HATE being around people with that type of lifestyle. I work hard and choose to live in a nice area away from ghetto type of elements. That was the whole point of attending college. Also yes, I am concerned about property values or trying to resell in the future when I retire and leave cold MN.

[MNNative]

I'm for sure not suggesting that YOU are prejudice. I honestly just wanted to better understand why living near such housing would be a problem and I think you and Slig have helped me do that.

I certainly meant no offense.

[kuan]

From: Income: Youth Substance Use and Family Income, SAMHSA, Office of Applied Studies

Based on SAMHSA's 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 18% of youths age 12 to 17 (4.6 million) lived in families with annual incomes of less than $20,000 per year, 35% (8.8 million) in families with incomes between $20,000 to $49,999, 19% (4.8 million) in families with incomes between $50,000 to $74,999, and 27.6% in families with incomes of $75,000 or more.

18% of households in the US make 50-75k per year and 19% of youth in this group are drug abusers.

26% of households make over 75k per year yet 27% of youth drug abusers come from that income level.

Drug abuse does not care what kind of money you make.

[Doc. T.]

Lalife, thought Slig provided you with a fine rejoinder. Often, apartments that are subsidized by the Section 8 program prove to be a much better arrangement for the owner(s) rather than the tenants. The Housing Authority directly deposits the rental checks that they receive right into their accounts - no muss, no fuss. Thus, there's an effective collection incentive for them to keep the units on the program. Also, there may have been specific "grant monies" allocated to them to build such properties. Not long ago, I moved into a beautiful new apartment complex that was Sec. 8. I did not think there would be any problems. Regretably, that was not the case. Quickly, the units filled. Correspondingly, a bevy of crime-related and quality of living issues saturated the complex. Yep, I did have my car vandalized by one of the tenants. Yep, we did have a police officer living on premises, with squad car, but to no avail. Preserving personal safety necessitated relocation. Often people who are disabused from such problems don't realize the dramatic impact they can have on a person or people groups. Your prudence in property investing is noteworthy! The addage location, location, location; iterrated by local agents still has some merit. Success to you in finding a home.

[lalife]

Originally Posted by MNNative

I'm for sure not suggesting that YOU are prejudice. I honestly just wanted to better understand why living near such housing would be a problem and I think you and Slig have helped me do that.

I certainly meant no offense.

No, I don't mean you, however I am sure that there are people reading my post that will come to the conclusion that I was discriminating because of color. Being Native American, I have dealt with and continue to deal with racism on a daily basis, therefore I am no stranger to racial struggle in society.

The problem with Section 8 is that this program was most likely thought up by rich people that can afford a nice single family home in the suburbs that are far away from apartments. They never have to worry about who may be living in such apartments.

[lalife]

Originally Posted by kuan

From: Income: Youth Substance Use and Family Income, SAMHSA, Office of Applied Studies




18% of households in the US make 50-75k per year and 19% of youth in this group are drug abusers.

26% of households make over 75k per year yet 27% of youth drug abusers come from that income level.

Drug abuse does not care what kind of money you make.

Yes, but the rich drug abusers can afford their drugs. Poor druggies often rob / burglarize to get their drugs.