How is everyone doing it? (Newark, Jersey City: middle-class, house, neighborhood)

[stmaarten]

Why are property taxes so high in New Jersey? BECAUSE THE CROOKED POLITICIANS IN NEW JERSEY ARE FLEECING THE GOOD PEOPLE OF THAT GREAT STATE!!!
We left the state of New Jersey, not because we hated living there, but we were SICK AND TIRED of being cheated by that state's politicians!
Jersey $uck$ not because of it's location, but because the politicians there are thieves!
Why is it that other states are able to manage on much less property tax income? It's a damn tradgedy!

[kort677]

Originally Posted by eskmd

Somehow I think I could lead a happy life without a comment from you on this subject.
Of course if you drive south 40 minutes from the outerbridge crossing you wil not be in North Jersey anymore. Since you cant seem to grasp a subject as "abstract" as North Jersey, Central Jersey, and South Jersey, I'm not sure how much I would value your opinion anyway. Have a good day.

guess again sherlock, 40 minutes from Wall St.

Too bad you are having issues clarifying what you were hyperventilating about, you yelped about some buzzwords you learned somewhere but you can't articulate what you are really trying to say

[allysonnj]

I know in my area people who bought houses 10 years ago pay a fraction of the cost the house is worth now, they sell and take the money and buy "up". For instance, a town in the shore area, my father bought a house with a river view in in 1990, about 4 minutes to the beach, paid 220,000 and sold last year for 1.2 million. That is how people can afford these homes. Wish I were that lucky.

[AnesthesiaMD]

Originally Posted by kort677

guess again sherlock, 40 minutes from Wall St.

Too bad you are having issues clarifying what you were hyperventilating about, you yelped about some buzzwords you learned somewhere but you can't articulate what you are really trying to say

Uh...Sherlock?

Nice comeback.

Again, you completely miss the point.




P.S. This is the silliest conversation I have had in a long time.

[kort677]

Originally Posted by eskmd

Uh...Sherlock?

Nice comeback.

Again, you completely miss the point.




P.S. This is the silliest conversation I have had in a long time.

you posted about mcmansions I asked what you considered a mcmansion to be, you still haven't been able to formulate an answer to that very simple question, why is that?
I really can't make it any simpler for you

[johndoe07]

I think a McMansion is any home over 3000-3500sq ft. Don't ask me how or why I came up with that. It's just based upon what I see out there.

[nsa162]

A mcmansion is not defined by square footage, altough they are normally very big. The reason they are called mcmansions is because they are all pretty much simliar, assembly line houses that are as popular on the american landscape as mcdonalds

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by nsa162

A mcmansion is not defined by square footage, altough they are normally very big. The reason they are called mcmansions is because they are all pretty much simliar, assembly line houses that are as popular on the american landscape as mcdonalds

IMHO - mcmansion does not = cookie cutter, which is what you describe. the "mansion" in mcmansion implies a large house. how large is up to interpretation, I'd personally say about 3300+ not including basement.

to answer the OP, i think the question is more "how are first time young buyers buying $500K+ houses". they are either up to their eyeballs in debt, have rich relatives, or some whiz kids with large salaries. i do think most people who are able to buy these houses however are older owners moving up, who have sold their current houses for a large profit.

personally, my income has increased 4xs since i graduated college, yet housing costs have not. in other words, my first house has not increased 4xs since i purchased it. i suspect many in my age group are in the same boat, so if you sell and purchase up, you're still ok (the real estate boom a few yrs ago helped). if you do want one of those houses, go into a field that will pay you the salary - really the way to go. and prepare to start small and build equity, hardly anyone can go from diploma to $600K house in a year.

[dataman1]

STMAARTEN IS SOOOOOOOOO RIGHT. OPEN YOUR EYES PEOPLE, use
the common sense that god gave you (hopefully).

[stmaarten]

Originally Posted by nsa162

A mcmansion is not defined by square footage, altough they are normally very big. The reason they are called mcmansions is because they are all pretty much simliar, assembly line houses that are as popular on the american landscape as mcdonalds

EXACTLY RIGHT! The word "McMansion" was derived from the name "McDonalds": as in super-sized and same all over.
DUH!