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Yeah, this is why people need to look beyond the state comparisons and look at the area itself. That Oakland listing is probably in the 70-100k range in Upstate NY. For an example: Syracuse Real Estate - 154 Fayette Blvd, Syracuse, NY, 13224 It is in a solid area that is a predominately Black, but diverse middle class neighborhood(block group is about 56% Black and a median household income of about $63,000). Taxes are usually shown without potential exemptions as well.
So, this is why people have to get out of the idea of hearing a state name and assuming that it is going to be "expensive", because there could be a range in terms of areas within that state.
It's cheaper because most of the Southern states are "Right to Work" States so people don't have to pay their union duos. The unions have almost no power down south so that's why you're seeing companies move down there and pay their employees low wages like the Boeing plant in SC that's paying their employees $15 an hour which is what McDonald workers are demanding now in Northern states. If you cost the employer more money then states down south will look much more attractive because at the end of the day businesses and people want to increase their profit gaps and bank accounts. Essentially, it costs less to do business and on top of that many southern conservatives agree with privatization which is good for the most part because the state saves money, however, contractors bid and compete to who can pay their employees the least amount of money. Privatization leads to lower wages. If people make less money, which they do down south, then the COL will reflect that, so the taxes are generally lower. The issue they're seeing now is that wealthy individuals from the northeast are flocking down south to save money which is driving up the costs for the people that have been living in these communities for generations.
Clearly you didn't look at the links and aren't the brightest bulb in the drawer if you think each of those listed is "ghetto" even though they're scattered all over the varying cities if you look at the map view. And surely you're not casting shade on those cities as someone who lives in Norfolk. No wonder the world is such a mess right now given the laziness exhibited on this thread with the inability to separate perception from fact. If at all inclined to look beyond lazy, check out the maps and please do attempt to argue how so many varying areas of these could/would qualify as low end or ghetto.
Casting shade? lol. Where I'm originally from makes Norfolk look really nice. Not casting shade at all. In Norfolk's defense, there are some really nice neighborhoods here.
You can go all around in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake and find places like those you've posted. They don't look bad on the outside, but once you go up in there and see who really lives there and what it is really like you realize the area is not that great at all. Same thing in cities like Atlanta. That's why I stated that anyone can post pictures of areas that look great, but once you get up in there it's usually Section 8 or something else.
Yes they look very similar to areas that many here would qualify as ghetto. If that is not the case then it is what it is but at those prices, that is very reminiscent of similar areas here that are ghetto. We have some really obvious, ran down ghetto areas and then areas that look great because they're refurbished or newly built in really bad neighborhoods. In fact I'd go as far as to say that most of the areas in Norfolk you don't want to spend a lot of time at look really good compared to what I was accustomed to back in Akron. But that is only because those areas have been rebuilt; a new look over old housing, or new housing put up on vacant lots in bad neighborhoods.
Texas has a reputation for being cheap, as another poster said. And it is as compared to other major cities. But we have had double digit increases on home prices for the last 6-7 years. In some areas home prices have doubled (from, say, $275k to $700k). You really have to go far out of the city limits to find a cheap home.
Rents have doubled too. I was paying $599 five years ago for a nice one bedroom apartment in a Dallas suburb. That same floor plan now costs $1200-1350 depending on the unit location.
So...yes, still cheaper than many places (I have a friend who pays $3500/month in rent for a small two bedroom apartment in Hoboken, NJ) but not really "cheap" like it used to be.
Texas has a reputation for being cheap, as another poster said. And it is as compared to other major cities. But we have had double digit increases on home prices for the last 6-7 years. In some areas home prices have doubled (from, say, $275k to $700k). You really have to go far out of the city limits to find a cheap home.
Rents have doubled too. I was paying $599 five years ago for a nice one bedroom apartment in a Dallas suburb. That same floor plan now costs $1200-1350 depending on the unit location.
So...yes, still cheaper than many places (I have a friend who pays $3500/month in rent for a small two bedroom apartment in Hoboken, NJ) but not really "cheap" like it used to be.
I see decent two bedrooms in Plano for around 1100. That's certainly cheap.
The South is a lot cheaper then when I lived in Boston. I prefer to live in the South for personal reasons it suits my personality i am laid back and outgoing. Not a huge fan of all of the South, I do not care for Florida and parts of the Deep South. But Nashville is a great place to live and so is Atlanta.
South is more expensive than midwest, but a heck of a lot cheaper than the northeast and west coast. And that perspective drives things.
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