Are middle class residents being pushed out of NYC? (Bedford: houses, neighborhoods)

[TheTruth08]

Rachael is a teacher and she can afford to rent an apartment in a nice neighborhood in Queens with her husband (who I think is also a teacher). Sure teachers aren't going to be able to live in the The Village or the UES. But after they save for a few years they can afford a nice house/condo in the outerboroughs. You think a teacher can afford to live on Long Island by herself/himself? Most of my young teachers actually still live with their parents and their in there mid 20's early 30's.

[SobroGuy]

Agreed TheTruth. Unfortunately, the poster believes she deserves a lifestyle that she just can't afford, and subsequently blames the city for it. I am sorry that you cannot afford to live in what you perceive is a "good" neighborhood, or something that meets your requirements of what you feel you deserve, but in the real world people are forced to make decisions based on what they can AFFORD, regardless of what they feel they deserve or want. I want to live in a million dollar condo overlooking central park....but guess what.I can't afford it and I don't blame the city for denying me what I feel I am supposed to have, nor do I expect anyone else to provide me with that lifestyle. There are LOTS of affordable housing units throughout NYC that are available RIGHT NOW...all you have to do is apply!!!! In fact, there is housing specifically targeted FOR TEACHERS at rents of $800 for a BRAND NEW ELEVATOR BUILDING WITH PARKING, blocks away from a MetroNorth Stop AND express trains. But hey...the neighborhood is not "good enough" for you and does not jive with what you "expect" or "should have" so you spend your time blaming NYC. And just so you know...there are plenty of teachers, cops, firefighters, postal employees, and similar city workers that earn $50,000-$100,000 that are ECSTATIC about all the new affordable housing going up across the city...so while you are spending your time complaining about how life is unfair in NYC, everyone else is moving into affordable apts and buying affordable homes. And of course in 5 years from now when these neighborhoods become "better" you will complain how they too are now unaffordable and how life is not fair...

[TheTruth08]

I agree 100% Sobro. I also agree with the other poster who said New York City is like an European city. In European cities people live in condos and small apartments there whole life. Yet you don't hear them complain so much. They raise there kids in 2 bedrooms apartments. That 2000 square foot suburban house you "deserve" is HUGE and practically unnecessary to them. New York City is the urbanist dream, people who want to be as urban as you can get in the United States. Of course everything is going to be smaller. We compromise for what we want.

[hazeleyes86]

Originally Posted by StrugglingMusician91

No the lower class are surviving through section 8 and public housing. Middle class are to rich to qualify for that and too poor to afford a house in a decent neighborhood.

Nope a lot of the working class do not qualify for section 8/medicaid or any other kind of assistance. I speak from experience. You have to be dirt dirt poor and usually have a couple of kids too qualify. Those of us who work full-time hours and don't make minimum wage but barely more don't qualify.

[tpk-nyc]

The problem with those buildings is that the income restrictions are very specific and, in my experience, are either ridiculously low (under $20K) or rather high ($70K to $90K). There are not a lot of openings for those of us in the middle ($40K to $60K).

[SobroGuy]

No actually there are quite a few in the 40-60k range..all you have to do is go to NYC.gov and search for affordable housing. The requirements vary by building, and they always have new buildings going up so just keep looking and search ALL 5 BOROUGHS.

[tpk-nyc]

There are now two American Dreams.

The old one: 2.5 kids, a dog and a house with a yard in the suburbs. The ultimate example: Greenwich, CT. Every suburban McMansion is essentially a cheap copy of houses in Westchester or Fairfield Counties. (Martha Stewart, anyone?)

And the new one: A cool apartment, preferably a loft, within a walking distance of hip, destination restaurants and shops including a green market, and access to public transportation. The ultimate example: Greenwich Village, NYC. Every urban redevelopment scheme is essentially a copy of Manhattan, south of 14th Street.

We're spoiled becase we know the original from a copy.

The other problem is the new American Dream is far more expensive than the old one.

[bluedog2]

I don't feel like I am being pushed out and I am a teacher.In fact,I can't think of anywhere else outside of NYC where I could live as well as I do on my meager salary, unless I moved to some god awful place where I wouldn't want to live, like the sunbelt or the Carolinas.

I make a little over 70 and recently bought a really nice,very large, 2 br apartment in a nice neighborhood for under 200,000.My loan,coop maintenance,tel,tv and utilities is around 1,500/mo. Since I live here,I don't need a car and all of that expense.I take a bus to work every day...it takes about 15 mins.There is everything I need,including the subway,within a couple of blocks of my apartment.

Where else could I live in my own place and have such a low monthly housing expense unless it were someplace 50 miles outside of the city where I would need a car that would cost me as much as my housing now ?

I do think I am underpaid and would love to make more but I don't feel like I am being pushed out at all.

[SobroGuy]

Heh...so very true..it doesn't help when you have these tv shows creating these crazy expectations like Sex and the City or Friends for that matter. The reality of life in NYC is way off from what people expect and they get angry/blame the world when they realize they can't afford it.

[7 Wishes]

Originally Posted by SobroGuy

Well here is a home that was BOUGHT BY A TEACHER who makes $70,000 per year, single, 33 years old and put 5% down. In fact, there are still a few available....this is in the South Bronx where the bulk of affordable housing is geared to the working/middle class, like teachers, police, post office, firemen, are able to buy and invest..which is exactly what is happening. His neighbors are cops. Of course, if you are expecting to live in the Upper East side at these prices, and with that salary...you are outta luck..but that has always been the case and its nothing new. There are plenty other examples, an abundance actually, of affordable rental/sale homes available...you just need to do less complaining/more searching..its right in front of your face. http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/download...cord-homes.pdf

I saw the link, and $472,000 to purchase a home in the SOUTH BRONX? What do they do, completely fortress it off from the rest of the of neighborhood? I mean there are safer places even here in the tri-state area where houses (yes houses!) cost this or just a little bit more.....and someone making $118K shouldn't need the Housing Dept. to get a home (but I am not saying that that salary makes you RICH here, far from it).

Almost sounds like they're trying to over-gentrify the neighborhood......don't take this wrong and I don't want to start flames but one problem with all of these arguments about that there are affordable neighborhoods in NYC is that many of them are not very safe in my view. I think the South Bronx is a lot better than it was in the 70's and I tout on many forums how I think people shouldn't be as scared of it as they are but I still can't imagine a white, middle-aged female being comfortable (or perhaps even safe) coming home on the 2, 5, or 6 train in Melrose and comfortably walking from there to her home at night.