The average American is being priced out of the Phoenix metro market. (Chandler: section 8, rental)
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I'd respond to your post, but it doesn't even make sense. You posted a ton of them awhile back along the same line and they didn't make sense either. Seems like you are both wanting the government to help you and yet you criticize it and talk about average Americans, whatever "average" is. Seems like also you came from a family who put a silver spoon in your mouth as I recall. Maybe that's the problem. High expectations that weren't realized? Hey, everything is relative. Do what you can do to improve your situation and be satisfied you are doing all you can do.
Gaslighting much? Very well. That is your opinion and you have every right to it if you don't think I make any sense. It was intended for people who are in my situation. It wasn't intended for rich people like yourself.
I posted a ton? Seriously? I have a total of 368 posts. You have a total of 2,527 posts. You have way more posts than I do. I seem to be making perfect sense to those who are in my position. I will not make sense to the person who has no concept of what it's like trying to make ends meet.
I want absolutely no help from the government at all. I hope that sentence is clear and makes perfect sense. I want to be able to find "reasonable" housing like everyone else does. Housing has turned into a "jewelry box" with luxury this and luxury that. Housing isn't a fur coat or a diamond ring. It's a basic need.
I am critical of the government handing out loads of cash to the very poor and the very rich and somehow those in the middle (the so called silent majority) need to be quiet and suck it up. I hope that sentence is clear and makes perfect sense.
Whatever average is? Average is those who make up the "middle class". It is not taking into consideration those who make $100,000+. I made it very clear in the beginning of my post that this thread was designed for those who are in the same situation. It isn't meant for rich people to waste their time reading. It is meant for those of us who are dealing with the same issues and would like to share their experiences. I hope that makes sense.
Seems like I came from a "family who put a silver spoon in my mouth"? No. Not quite. My father's parents immigrated from Ireland. He grew up during the Depression. It was tough for his family. My mother's family dated back to the Civil War and her parents were not rich either. They were middle class. Her father was intelligent (MENSA level) and worked as an engineer to provide for his family and he did fairly well. When he retired, he was able to build his own home in Chester, VT before he passed. Both of my parents are from NYC originally. There was no silver spoon. I grew up in the mid range of middle class. Parents divorced when I was 5. My father was a Doctor but that didn't mean he lavished it on his family like many do. My Uncle made it very clear to me as a kid that my father grew up in the Depression, etc., and that is why he is the way he is. According to my mom, he knew how to hide his assets back in the 70s when inflation was awful. Life was a struggle for my mom to make ends up meet but she tried very hard to keep it together. She has been through so much and I have great respect for her.
High expectations that weren't realized? Seriously? I have a college degree in political science. I make a decent salary in a corporate environment and I love my job. I do the best I can with my abilities. We all can't be rocket scientists. Some of us have limitations and we need to work around them in order to survive, whether they be physical or mental. Nobody is perfect, except maybe you of course. I have made peace with my life choices and my faith is my rock.
Thank you for sharing. I wish you the best of luck. I mean it. I sincerely do.
She posts the same thing hundreds of times. It's just been a year or so since she's posted them and now she's started up again. Complain, complain, complain. Obviously it's just a supply and demand thing. If nobody pays the rent asked, the rent will go down. If there is demand, then there will be an equilibrium. I guess she just feels entitled like a lot of people do and wants a handout.
I post hundreds of times says the one who posts thousands of times? That is simply not true. I come on here occasionally. I do not post the same thing over and over either.
Here we go with the gaslighting song and dance again... I feel entitled? Seriously? Handouts? Seriously? I am not complaining as much as I'm stating the thoughts and frustrations of those who are also in the middle class. Sharing is good for the mind, body and spirit in my humble opinion.
I want to know how others are coping in the middle class with these insane prices.
I want to know how others are reacting to these sky high rents in Phoenix.
I want to know whether you're thinking of moving or do you plan to pay more than half your monthly earnings towards rent?
Sorry to all of you if I have come across as complaining too much in this thread when my "main objective" is to share with others who are experiencing a similar situation and wanting to know how they are reacting to these skyrocketing rents.
This is the problem with society. They want the middle class to keep quiet as the prices skyrocket. The middle class is like the forgotten stepchild in the rich kid's thought process. The middle class exists but they don't quite have the right assets or power, not to mention the right connections so they better keep quiet. Don't make any waves.
Isn't that the truth?
If you are part of the middle class, I urge you to speak up and let your voice be known. You matter too!
Last edited by MissMouse111; 06-24-2021 at 08:05 AM..
She's got tons of posts from a year or two ago...probably a hundred of more that all say the same thing. Now there is huge unemployment...you can train online for tech type jobs that pay at least 50k and spend about 50-100 hours doing it, but she'd rather complain. She is what is wrong with this country. Well, one of the things. LOL.
And yet here you are with the need to bash me with three posts in a row all while being quite rude I might add but it is what it is. Your gaslighting song and dance routine is getting a bit tired. Do you work on Wall Street by any chance and drive a Porsche? Do you boast about sleeping with hundreds of women like it's a badge of honor too? Perhaps maybe you and your alpha Trojan Horse attitude are what is wrong with this country?
I noticed that you get a greenlight on this forum to say whatever you like. Interesting.
Not everyone has a tech mind. We can't all be techs. Maybe that is your field.
I am what is wrong with society? Seriously? I graduated from college with a Bachelor's in Political Science. I don't have any illegitimate kids. I have never taken drugs. I can't stand the smell of any kind of smoke. I work out. I eat healthy and I am what is wrong with this country. At one point, I worked two jobs to make ends meet when I arrived in Phoenix. I have never taken any welfare. My Christian life means the world to me and keeps me grounded. I have a relationship with Jesus, he is my rock, and I wouldn't trade it for anything this world has to offer. And I am what is wrong with this country? You come into this world with nothing and you leave with nothing. Don't ever forget that.
How do you sleep at night being so rude to strangers on a forum?
The very last apartment complex I ever lived in before buying a condo was Onnix Tempe (was called Meridian Corners) back when I was at ASU. Shared a 2 bed, 1 bath with a roommate and I think the total was $860 back then. Looking at prices now it looks like the range is $1500-$2300, so the prices have doubled or tripled depending on which number is accurate.
That increase may seem like a lot over the course of ~22 years, but looking at the price the condos are selling for where I bought immediately after living in the apartment, they've gone from the 65-75k range then to $280k today. It looks like rents may be increasing at a slower rate than housing prices.
Buying the condo while still in grad school and stretching my comfort level a bit was one of the best financial moves of my life. I had the same roommate from the apartment and he got a bigger place and a private bath for about the same cost but paid me instead of a corporate landlord.
So going through a first time buyers' assistance program or something like that...purchasing a $280k condo would leave the OP with an all in payment of $1608/mo before the tax deductions associated with a mortgage. Sounds doable.
You do know being homeless is illegal right? People have to pay, they don't have a choice, otherwise they are breaking the law.
Thank you Prickly Pear. I appreciate your understanding. The middle class needs to come together and form a voice.
So many in the middle class are frustrated and tired of being taken advantage of.
The upper crust will never view housing as a basic need. How can they when they live in luxurious gated safe communities? They want to shame the middle class for wanting reasonable rents. Furthermore, they want to twist the middle class into silence in order to justify these insane prices.
If you are part of the middle class, I urge you to share your thoughts on this forum. You have a voice. Speak your truth. Silence is death to the middle class.
The intellectual is a middle-class product; if he is not born into the class he must soon insert himself into it, in order to exist. He is the fine nervous flower of the bourgeoise. - Louise Bogan
Louise Bogan was an American poet. She was born in 1897 and died in 1970. Nothing much has changed since then. Has it?
I post hundreds of times says the one who posts thousands of times? That is simply not true. I come on here occasionally. I do not post the same thing over and over either.
Here we go with the gaslighting song and dance again... I feel entitled? Seriously? Handouts? Seriously? I am not complaining as much as I'm stating the thoughts and frustrations of those who are also in the middle class. Sharing is good for the mind, body and spirit in my humble opinion.
I want to know how others are coping in the middle class with these insane prices.
I want to know how others are reacting to these sky high rents in Phoenix.
I want to know whether you're thinking of moving or do you plan to pay more than half your monthly earnings towards rent?
Sorry to all of you if I have come across as complaining too much in this thread when my "main objective" is to share with others who are experiencing a similar situation and wanting to know how they are reacting to these skyrocketing rents.
This is the problem with society. They want the middle class to keep quiet as the prices skyrocket. The middle class is like the forgotten stepchild in the rich kid's thought process. The middle class exists but they don't quite have the right assets or power, not to mention the right connections so they better keep quiet. Don't make any waves.
Isn't that the truth?
If you are part of the middle class, I urge you to speak up and let your voice be known. You matter too!
It really is frustrating how much harder and more expensive our lives are rapidly getting in the past year or so. Far and away, people around our incomes make up the majority. I assume we're close enough there, because your max rent is very very close to what I'd have considered my max. Would have me house poor though.
I mean seriously...maybe instead of renting you buy a condo/Townhouse? They are out there, you can deduct the interest from your Federal income...try this program if you don't that the down payment:
This thread is intended to focus on average Americans, those who make up middle America here in the Phoenix Metro area. It is not meant for the brand new Porsche or Tesla owner who spends his or her time blowing fairy dust around every time he or she takes a drive. We have all seen the rents skyrocket. That's a given. The average rent for a one bedroom now sits above $1,400 in a safe area and even if you pick an unsafe neighborhood whereby you know those who live there get by with project housing vouchers, they will tell you that you can rent the 2nd floor 1 bedroom for $1,600. Yes, in a high crime area that is the truth and if you go to the reviews, people will warn you that drugs are everywhere in that complex along with cars and homes being broken into. One woman in a review even said she doesn't even feel safe walking outside her unit because of homeless people nearby. How is that even possible? How is that the average American can no longer afford a roof over their head in a safe area and this problem is going on all across this country not just here in Phoenix. I've read countless stories of people paying $1,400+ for that so called luxury unit but the neighbor across the way is doing drugs. The smell of pot is also everywhere, especially now that it's legal, it will get a whole lot worse. The stench of pot is permeating the units of those who hate any kind of smoke and they paid good money to live there as well. Don't they have any rights at all to clean living environments? This is going on even in pristine Chandler. How is that possible? Who makes these absurd laws and why is the middle class suffering while the poor and the rich are getting the best benefits?
How is the housing crisis a good problem to have? Seriously?! To who? And to how many does it really benefit? It may be great for those sitting on a load of cash but not for your average American. Definitely not the average American in Arizona who makes anywhere from $35,000 to $45,000. A lot of people in Arizona don't even make that much. They are being priced out or they can live in the ghetto and suffer the consequences. Does anybody really care? I don't think so.
We all can't be lawyers, engineers, or doctors. It's just not possible. I was told it's snowbirds or people from the "work from home" set who can now live anywhere they like, etc. that are flooding the market.
Affordable housing is very black and white in the state of Arizona in terms of the middle ground. There is hardly any gray area at all for the average American. You either have the money to live in a luxury gated community to keep the element out or you can live in a community with high crime. The most desirable safe areas that are considered the middle ground are all sold out, unavailable. There are plenty of 2 bedroom and 3 bedroom units there that practically nobody can afford. There are quite a few old units in high crime areas still available too. Yeah to the middle class! Aren't we lucky? Some people say you should have looked earlier. I did. I went a month ahead and she said that there is no way we could hold a unit for a month so go figure? LOL
And then I looked at one unit and she said you don't make enough to qualify, you are $600 short. It was for around $1,400 and I make $43,000. Can you get a second job? Do you have any alimony?
And then I was told that the rate is for today only so even if you apply we can't guarantee that rate will stay on the day you move in. So I was like hold on. So if I apply today and put a deposit down, you are telling me the rate could change on the day of move in. She said that was correct. Isn't that illegal? Most places will tell you that rent rates change daily without notice. Every time you call regarding an advertisement for a certain rent that was posted that day, you are told the rents are suddenly higher more times than I can count. She even claimed it was a computer error. Gee, what a hot business to be in, right?
And middle America gets accused of coming here for the sun. Some of us have real serious health issues where the inflammation and swelling (arthritis) in our joints gets really bad in the winter even at the age of 36, when it first happened to me, so it's not just a fun in the sun issue.
And let's be honest, this is the desert folks where everything is pretty much brown, brown, brown and the heat is something you need to learn to adapt to. It's not a picnic with the heat. It's still nice but not a picnic. It's not anything like the lush green you can actually see along the East coast. Arizona is not and never will be ocean front property but the prices are starting to eclipse the average American here in Arizona. California prices are taking over the state of Arizona and we all know what California looks like today. Pure hell. It wasn't always like this. It was an affordable haven for those in the middle class for years. Soon it will not be unheard of to see the average one bedroom go for $2,000 a month. It's edging up higher by the day. Now it's averaging around $1,400-$1,600 for a one bedroom, but hey if you're okay with an undesirable old building in a high crime area, Arizona has the place for you. I see very few affordable 1 bedrooms in safe neighborhoods on the market today. Very few.
I know that there are those who feel the average American making an average wage should get a roommate and be quiet, but the "inevitable" human condition allows us to speak up in an orderly fashion.
Please share your story if you are currently an average American looking for a decent safe affordable 1 bedroom. What has been your experience?
Lastly, what are your options? Move out of this state? Find greener pasture? What do you think of the market?
I am trying to stay positive. I will not give up. Complaining solves nothing. I get it. I will move along now. Thank you.
Be forewarned about posting here with concerns of affordable housing. This community is full of landlords that are swooning at the fact that housing is becoming unaffordable. They love it and think it is something that is completely sustainable. One poster, in another thread I started, said that the high rent prices are going up in order to keep the "undesirables" out of the communities. I am pretty sure he/she meant that they want the middle and lower class to disappear, and would be perfectly content with two classes, lower and upper classes. After all, most all of those heartless posters are either upper class with six figure incomes, are landlords that charge exorbitant rent prices, or are ones that own a house, bought before the insane, artificially created, bloated housing prices. Basically, they are sitting on the sidelines, watching the struggle with zero cares outside of their own greed.
It is really sad to, because this community used to be one with little bais, now, it has morphed into one of which continent is so prominently displayed on their sleeves.
But, on to your post. here is my opinion.
Nothing about our market is sustainable. Take into account that a large amount of these houses being sold are requiring no inspections whatsoever. It is true though, that lenders require an inspection, but what we have here is companies from out of state/country, scooping up these houses that pay cash. There is no oversight on enforcement of inspecting the house before it is bought or sold. It is a loophole, exploited by those that pay cash for the houses. These companies than flip the houses or straight up put them on the market for lease, charging $2000+ a month in rent. Unsuspecting tenants rent these horribly overpriced houses with defects that affect habitability. The tenant has no recourse whatsoever. They can raise the issues to a faceless corporation and be ignored, or worse, they will be evicted and replaced with tenants that are willing, and happy, to take on the exorbitant rent prices. Why? Because there is a critical lack of housing in Phoenix.
Thank you. I appreciate it. I don't know if I want to own though. I always thought of singles renting and married folks with kids own. Just my mindset but my brother does tell me I should own. It's a better deal in Phoenix and everybody I meet says owning is better.
There are those that say owning is like having a ball and chain. There are a lot of expenses that go along with owning a home. Anybody want to chime in on that?
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