Like he** I'm going to pay these prices! (Boston, Somerville: oceanfront, mortgage)

[msRB311]

Originally Posted by masssachoicetts

Very true. My bad school district in MA was better than the A rated FL one I went to.

Also most people who move to MA are in their 20s and 30s anyway. Kids aren't as common as they were in 2005 and not nearly as common as they were in 1995. If people do even have kids, MA already is up a loot with schools. End that debate

People do have less kids now...but the kids that they have they typically will go to the ends of the earth for. Not saying that people haven't always done this but it's easier to afford more with 1 or 2 kids than with 3 or 4 in most cases particularly when it comes to eduxation.

I actually know a lot of people who don't even use public schools...they are using montessori, Derby, Tenacre Country Day, ISL schools. Why pay millions to live in Wellesley when you can spend thousands on private school? I guess the kicker is that your kids have to be able to get into the private schools. Many don't even bother with the 'elite' public school choices.

[redplum33]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

Go to Hartford or Pittsburgh and live like a king on the top floor of a brand new luxury complex downtown.

If that was as desirable as you're making it sound, tons of people would be doing it. But they aren't.

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by masssachoicetts

Kids aren't as common as they were in 2005 and not nearly as common as they were in 1995.

The fertility rate was pretty much exactly 2 in both 1995 and 2005 it has been dropping since 2010 but it's still around 1.8. The fertility rate has actually been between 2 and 1.8 since 1975. It had increased a little bit from the '80 to the '00 but mostly just because of the Latino immigration. Now that fertility rates among Latinos are coming down we are going back to where we were in the early '80s.

[msRB311]

Hmm I dunno, definitely seems to me like people have less kids today.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnb...irth-rate.html

It seems like the more educated well to do people wait longer. Then the longer you wait the less kids you are typically able to have. So a woman a few decades ago may have gotten married at 25 and had 4 kids. The same woman now gets married in her 30s and has 2 kids. Or even 1.

I have noticed there seems to be a huge increase in people who can't conceive on their own and have ivf. It isn't even necessarily older people. I'm talking women in their 20s and 30s. It's almost like they do ivf on anyone who hasn't been able to conceive for 6 months.

[Msats]

Massachusetts schooling is amazing. First kids think they are straight, then they learn to become gay and now trans... mine have . Absolute garbage !! .

Its quite surreal when your kids tell you , you are not white so you can take back your racism and i can use slurs as its my races .Who taught them this....ofcourse the inclusion teacher. They are taught all the correct terms just incase.

I do not care what is there sexual orientation but its nutz to here kids say they are not privileged due to the dad being a man of color and how their sexual orientation has been put down.... even i know its BS.

[msRB311]

Meh. I think kids everywhere have a lot going on. I will say that my very conservative cousins who live in Milton and think they are better than most people had their 13 year old daughter come out as transgender last year. I guess it was serious enough that they were telling people about it. The daughter does look like a boy as well although she is starting to look more girlish now. Hopefully it was a humbling experience for them.

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by msRB311

Hmm I dunno, definitely seems to me like people have less kids today.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnb...irth-rate.html

You can see the fertility rate data here.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/...-us-1800-2020/

Originally Posted by msRB311

It seems like the more educated well to do people wait longer. Then the longer you wait the less kids you are typically able to have. So a woman a few decades ago may have gotten married at 25 and had 4 kids. The same woman now gets married in her 30s and has 2 kids. Or even 1.

For sure women are waiting longer and longer. On this the US are most likely just a few decades behind Europe, we just began not hitting the replacement rate, but things are going to only progress.

Education, quality of life and COL have a huge effect on that decision. For instance the average age for women with college degree was over 30 in 2016, no college degree less than 24.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/...h-age-gap.html

[Boston Shudra]

Great responses so far, guys! Thanks for generally staying on topic and being civil.

Don't really have the time/energy to reply to everything. I can't telecommute for my job; it has to be in-person. I don't want to leave not just because I'd like a good recc from my current manager / to not seem like a flight risk, but also it's a reputable company, I like the people I work with, and it's partially paying for grad school.

I think my plan will be to continue hunkering down and saving for a few years. If things don't get better here, I can always try to move out of state.

Originally Posted by MikePRU

Why do you say there's no reason for it? How is it "all artificial"?

I can look at offerings in different parts of the country and see similar quality/size units for less USD. So there's nothing inherent about our housing here that causes it to cost so much. If anything, it seems dingier and older on average.

Rather, it's the land that's expensive and it's intentionally kept that way by the towns for reasons other have already mentioned in the thread. That's what I mean by "artificial". It almost seems like everyone knows what we'd need to do for the area to become more affordable, but no one wants to do it.

Originally Posted by AtkinsonDan

Eh! Decades of Democrat leadership created this situation you label as a "disgrace!"

Live free or die country isn't much better. Check out this place in Nashua:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...74305589_zpid/

It sold for $85k in 2005, now it's $180k! And with NH's higher property taxes, the cost in tax per year is almost as high as that $449k property in Haverhill I shared yesterday.

Originally Posted by simplexsimon

I wonder how people who make less than the OP feel.

Or worse: people who make less than me and can't live at home. Good luck saving anything. I can only imagine the anxiety and helplessness.

[msRB311]

Originally Posted by Boston Shudra

Or worse: people who make less than me and can't live at home. Good luck saving anything. I can only imagine the anxiety and helplessness.

well I hate to sound insensitive but those people should consider moving.

[AtkinsonDan]

Originally Posted by Boston Shudra

Live free or die country isn't much better. Check out this place in Nashua:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1...74305589_zpid/

It sold for $85k in 2005, now it's $180k! And with NH's higher property taxes, the cost in tax per year is almost as high as that $449k property in Haverhill I shared yesterday.

Nashua borders Massachusetts so your example indicates that the issue where and when present in New Hampshire, is due to overflow from Massachusetts and not due to New Hampshire governance. This problem is not present in the areas that border Maine, Vermont or Canada. It is a Massachusetts problem that is spreading beyond borders.