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A local commentator has called that sort of thing the "San Francisco death spiral," where well-meaning "solutions" do more damage than good, and push prices higher and higher. Our rents are maybe 60% of theirs...it would be good to keep it that way.
Sometimes I wonder if apartment building owners are infiltrating these discussions. They stand to gain the most from housing scarcity. They love it when we pile costs on new construction because it means less competition and higher rents.
The City can enact all sorts of requirements for new construction. But it's counterproductive. To support a 20% affordable requirement, the other 80% (four units supporting one) might be paying 10-20% more all else being equal, assuming some rent paid by the subsidized person. And the other 130,000 renters in Seattle would be competing for fewer units (less construction overall), raising their rents.
As great as it is for the local seattle economy its great that Amazon and other tech gaints are adding jobs at a fast pace. This can be great for restuarants,stores,new car dealers,bars,homeowners looking to sell and apartment landlords. But with the shortage of houses for sale and apartments for rent the tech boom is bad for non tech workers. Many of these tech workers got jobs because a friend got them a job or they get lucky. It makes me sick when seattles non tech workers are told that they are uneducated or majored in the wrong major in college. Its not true at all. The way these tech companies hire is similar to how the entertainment industry in los angeles,California area hires. Many of thesr tech companies only hire attractive looking white people which is wrong. They refuse to hire black people who are college educated. Many of these tech employees are ruining seattle because many of them are superficial jerks.
So my question is how can Seattle and Bellevue save affordable housing so we dont become the next San Francisco?? What can we as a city do?
Im starting to notice that Lynnwood apartment prices are just as expensive as northgate seattle now.
My 1 bedroom 1 bath apartment of 610 square feet in northgate was $1200 a month when i moved into my apartment in july 2015. When my lease came up fpr renewal in july 2016 my rent remained at $1200 a month. But in july 2016 for new tenants my building now charges $1300 a month for the same apartment as mine. My apartment manager told me the the price for my 1 bedroom apartment in july 2017 for new renters could be $1400 a month. In my opinion 610 square foot apartment unit isnt worth $1400 a month. Many peoples salaries arent going up this fast. Some people say if seattle allows tons of new apartments to be built that this will solve the housing crisis. Is that the answer??
Many people like myself who dont own cars and rely on public transportation cant move to everet or Marysville. Even living in Lynnwood without a car is rough.
Im worried about my future here in Seattle becuase im not a millionaire or a rich tech worker. Currently im able t afford my rent of $1200 a month. Im embarrassed to say that i couldnt afford a $2,000 a month one bedroom apartment. Even in 5 years i wont be able to afford a $2,000 a month apartment.
Should i be worried??
Are you serious?
Why do so many Black Americans here play the race card? Go to SLU or Microsoft's Redmond campus. Easily over half the people are Indian/Asian.
Racial tensions will ALWAYS exist. You can't force the issue. Different cultures, ethnic profiles, etc. make us different from one another and humans in general will ALWAYS stick to what's familiar to them.
However, Black Americans arguably have it much better than Indians and Asians. In general, you are stronger, faster, more muscular, and taller. Your cultural tendencies and upbringing also helps you to be more outspoken than typically reserved Indians and Asians.
I really don't see what's preventing a qualified, intelligent Black American from getting hired.
If you applied and weren't selected, your application just wasn't as strong as everyone else's. Stop trying to play the victim. It's quite ridiculous.
Walch, I'm Caucasian and I think what you just said smacked of racism, insensitivity and lack of compassion. Indian/Asian people are treated differently than African Americans, even in liberal Seattle.
Walch, I'm Caucasian and I think what you just said smacked of racism, insensitivity and lack of compassion. Indian/Asian people are treated differently than African Americans, even in liberal Seattle.
If that's how you truly feel, then you aren't liberal. You are far left. I'm getting kind of tired of people labeling themselves as liberal when they truly aren't.
Liberalism is based on not only liberty and equality, but also a duty to promote the common good. In striving for equality, the majority must not suddenly become disadvantaged to favor the minority. This dictates that in order for a company to succeed and contribute positively to society, they must hire the best person possible for the role, regardless of race, gender, etc.
Do you know how big Microsoft and Amazon are? I'm sure there are some recruiter/hiring managers who are racist, sexist, etc. But for every racist, there are probably at least 5 who don't care what your ethnic background is. They just want to hire the best person possible so they can build a high-performing team to help him/her to succeed. If you keep trying and can't get an offer, then you simply aren't qualified. Plain and simple.
Also, let me apply some education here:
Racism is defined as prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.
Not once in my post did I state or even imply that my own race is superior. Nor did I state or imply that African Americans are inferior in any way.
I've stated this before, but I see this as one of the only issues I have with Seattle. There are so many people who cry wolf. Many more who throw around accusations in the name of equality. How about you educate yourself on what the terms you're throwing around actually mean? If you're misusing a common word such as racism, I can't even imagine how many issues would come up in a prolonged conversation.
Going back to the original question. The obvious solution is to stop being passive (waiting around to see if rents will increase) and just use the saved down payment to buy a place.
I'm neither far left nor ultra liberal, though I proudly walk in the "progressive" camp. I have 4 or 5 close African American professional friends in Seattle, they tell me stories about their experiences. You are right that there are many hiring managers who are color blind, more than you know aren't, though. Maybe you don't know, because you haven't walked in their shoes. I certainly haven't. I didn't say you are racist, though I think your comment was. Equating African American experience with that of Asian or Indian Americans is something you really aren't qualified to do, to focus on African Americans' physical abilities in this manner is offensive. I do however, as you might expect, agree with your last comment about the OP buying a place
Why do so many Black Americans here play the race card? Go to SLU or Microsoft's Redmond campus. Easily over half the people are Indian/Asian.
Racial tensions will ALWAYS exist. You can't force the issue. Different cultures, ethnic profiles, etc. make us different from one another and humans in general will ALWAYS stick to what's familiar to them.
However, Black Americans arguably have it much better than Indians and Asians. In general, you are stronger, faster, more muscular, and taller. Your cultural tendencies and upbringing also helps you to be more outspoken than typically reserved Indians and Asians.
I really don't see what's preventing a qualified, intelligent Black American from getting hired.
If you applied and weren't selected, your application just wasn't as strong as everyone else's. Stop trying to play the victim. It's quite ridiculous.
If that's how you truly feel, then you aren't liberal. You are far left. I'm getting kind of tired of people labeling themselves as liberal when they truly aren't.
Liberalism is based on not only liberty and equality, but also a duty to promote the common good. In striving for equality, the majority must not suddenly become disadvantaged to favor the minority. This dictates that in order for a company to succeed and contribute positively to society, they must hire the best person possible for the role, regardless of race, gender, etc.
Do you know how big Microsoft and Amazon are? I'm sure there are some recruiter/hiring managers who are racist, sexist, etc. But for every racist, there are probably at least 5 who don't care what your ethnic background is. They just want to hire the best person possible so they can build a high-performing team to help him/her to succeed. If you keep trying and can't get an offer, then you simply aren't qualified. Plain and simple.
Also, let me apply some education here:
Racism is defined as prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.
Not once in my post did I state or even imply that my own race is superior. Nor did I state or imply that African Americans are inferior in any way.
I've stated this before, but I see this as one of the only issues I have with Seattle. There are so many people who cry wolf. Many more who throw around accusations in the name of equality. How about you educate yourself on what the terms you're throwing around actually mean? If you're misusing a common word such as racism, I can't even imagine how many issues would come up in a prolonged conversation.
Going back to the original question. The obvious solution is to stop being passive (waiting around to see if rents will increase) and just use the saved down payment to buy a place.
I probably should buy a condo in Seattle before its too late. If have decided that im renewing my apartment lease until august 2018.
Why do so many Black Americans here play the race card? Go to SLU or Microsoft's Redmond campus. Easily over half the people are Indian/Asian.
Racial tensions will ALWAYS exist. You can't force the issue. Different cultures, ethnic profiles, etc. make us different from one another and humans in general will ALWAYS stick to what's familiar to them.
However, Black Americans arguably have it much better than Indians and Asians. In general, you are stronger, faster, more muscular, and taller. Your cultural tendencies and upbringing also helps you to be more outspoken than typically reserved Indians and Asians.
I really don't see what's preventing a qualified, intelligent Black American from getting hired.
If you applied and weren't selected, your application just wasn't as strong as everyone else's. Stop trying to play the victim. It's quite ridiculous.
I'm neither far left nor ultra liberal, though I proudly walk in the "progressive" camp. I have 4 or 5 close African American professional friends in Seattle, they tell me stories about their experiences. You are right that there are many hiring managers who are color blind, more than you know aren't, though. Maybe you don't know, because you haven't walked in their shoes. I certainly haven't. I didn't say you are racist, though I think your comment was. Equating African American experience with that of Asian or Indian Americans is something you really aren't qualified to do, to focus on African Americans' physical abilities in this manner is offensive. I do however, as you might expect, agree with your last comment about the OP buying a place
I provided you with a copy-pasted definition of racism straight from the dictionary. Nothing I said could be construed as racism. Please refrain from throwing around words you do not understand.
At worst, I'm generalizing and stereotyping.
Saying you need to walk in someone's shoes to understand their predicament or situation is ludicrous. Based on your comments, I guess one can't be a psychiatrist unless he's had a mental breakdown or else he won't be able to "relate."
Now, let me open your eyes to the real world:
I've hired, fired, befriended, teamed up with, and competed against African Americans. I've connected with them on a personal and professional level.
Growing up, when I was working part-time, low-paying jobs, I absolutely did notice a bit of racism. You'd be surprised to find out that of all the minorities (Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, Middle Eastern Muslims), Asians are Muslims suffer by far the most bullying because of their smaller physical stature or drastically different cultural beliefs.
In the professional, educated adult world, it's flipped. Asians and Indians are largely viewed as "good at math", educated, nerdy..things that translate well into a tech role. But at this point, the majority are also a lot better at being color blind (or at least hiding their colored lenses).
All this to say that life is actually fairly relatable between minorities. They just experience discrimination/racism at different points in their lives and for different things. I don't know EXACTLY what my African American friends went through, but I have a good idea in most cases. Certainly a much better idea than any you, friend.
Life is only going to get better and better for minorities. It'll happen through education and globalization as the world becomes more connected, not protests. Protest time is better spent on education. The more minorities prove themselves, the harder it will be for the majority to discriminate against them in some negative way.
Maybe it's just me being biased, but I absolutely believe that ability matters more than skin color in determining whether one gets to work at places like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, etc. It is highly unlikely your recruiter would be racism or display a pattern of being racist, those patterns are easily visible when one is reviewing hundreds of resumes a week. As long as it's not the recruiter, then you're fine, because if you're good, they will keep submitting your application to different hiring managers and the chance of every single on of them being racist is literally impossible.
The way these tech companies hire is similar to how the entertainment industry in los angeles,California area hires. Many of these tech companies only hire attractive looking white people which is wrong. They refuse to hire black people who are college educated. Many of these tech employees are ruining seattle because many of them are superficial jerks.
Unintentional sense of humor here.
Go around the tech campuses. Plenty of brown & gold faces... The employers are bending over backwards to reach out to welcome people of "unconventional" color (they've got plenty of west, south and east Asians) and women. But the word I here is that these candidates are so scarce that the employers fight over them and they can end up in undemanding but high status symbolic figure head roles. I will agree, that the tech employers are similar to Hollywood in their obsession for composing Benetton style teams of superficially diverse complexioned faces for their public presentation. Behind the scenes in the important roles of actually making things happen, success and execution are much too important for pieties to diversity to get in the way.
As far as the tech employers placing great emphasis on "attractive looking" candidates, I wonder if this forum participant actually has any real life experience with the tech business and the tech bros who make it possible?
The perverse incentives of Seattle style pity party socialism are sickening. Sure the tech-bros are well compensated. But why should they have to pay the full costs of living while slackers, losers, dilettantes and other moochers claim subsidies? Where's my subsidized waterfront condo?
This metropolis is overcrowded with pretentious bleedy hearts who demand public solidarity and charity "for the less fortunate (but photogenic, artistic and fashionably multicultural)" while contributing nothing to this but their own bitterness, envy and sense of moral righteousness.
I'm certainly not nearly successful (or clever and conscientious) enough to count myself among the prosperous folks the tech-bros who can afford a high purchasing power. Nevertheless it's perverse that all these moochers feel entitled to the same payoff that the hardworking (and also lucky) have earned through their long patient investment in effort and self-improvement. Why should the makers who add value to our world have to bear the entire burden while we give everything to the grasshoppers who spent all summer playing or otherwise not investing in their future?
Perverse incentives indeed!
All you bleedy hearts with those nice cozy single family houses that you inherited or bought back while the market was reasonable when the entire home cost only 1 - 3 annual salary equivalents.... Put up or shut up. Share your own spare bedrooms or give up some of that unearned equity for those who can't afford housing. These tech bros, many of whom grew up in the humblest of circumstances, have more right to the big salaries they earn than all you sanctimonious progressive home owners to your unearned home equity. Indeed without all the region's well-compensated hard-working tech-bros, your home's equity in the Western Washington market would more resemble the 1970's post-Boeing bust Seattle or current Aberdeen / Gray's Harbor.
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