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I've all but given up on the notion of buying a house (or condo) on my salary (which isn't a bad one, a lower middle class salary, yes, but it is not a salary that would allow me to buy anything over 100k, and places under 100k do not exist, not anywhere there is work I could do that is). I know more and more people who are in a similar situations.
I've all but given up on the notion of buying a house (or condo) on my salary (which isn't a bad one, a lower middle class salary, yes, but it is not a salary that would allow me to buy anything over 100k, and places under 100k do not exist, not anywhere there is work I could do that is). I know more and more people who are in a similar situations.
The real problem, in your case, is that the US has become a nation where dual incomes are required. That's unfortunate.
Frankly, I would only live where I could work (if I was working ) and work where I live, but I am generally an urban dweller. This subject has been raised and discussed on several occasions in the General US Forum and Need_affordable_Home has numerous posts on the pluses and minuses of higher cost of living cities vs. affordable housing cities.
It does not seem as if we can have it all, whatever all is!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tone509
There are some of us who have been able to carve out a nice for themselves in a less populated (or popular) area. I would commend those people for their tenacity and/or luck.
However, I believe that many businesses and their jobs are increasingly concentrated in and around larger cities. Then there are the people who are determined to be in their preferred climate whether it is, say, Colorado, California or Florida. Sometimes there are even locales where there is the best of both worlds in terms of the job market and climate.
Of course, the more people that rush to these areas, the more expensive housing becomes. It can get to the point where one needs an upper-income household just to maintain what might be a middle-class lifestyle elsewhere. To wit, here in Northern Virginia, my lady and I bring home barely a six-figure income, yet all we can afford is a 2B apt in a busy but unglamorous neighborhood close to DC as well as our jobs. That is, unless we chose to invest our retirement on a 1B condo for $300K... or stretch for a $500K townhome or rancher.
Moving out to the exurbs isn't an option for us but many people choose to do that, especially those who want to buy a house for their families. I feel bad for those people who drive to the DC area from as far as WV and PA for work. Even those people commute by train from Baltimore or the VA exurbs aren't doing much better. Long-distance commuting is tough, no matter how you travel.
So to close, it's easy in a sense to suggest that one simply move somewhere cheaper. But there is definitely a trade-off in terms of quality of life and the ability to make a living.
So to close, it's easy in a sense to suggest that one simply move somewhere cheaper. But there is definitely a trade-off in terms of quality of life and the ability to make a living.
Oh sure, I definitely agree. To live anywhere on the planet with a 'high quality of life', you're going to pay a premium. But quality of life is extremely subjective.
the original poster was complaining about the working class - the folks without college degrees. These people can't afford to nitpick about whether they are within an hour of a major airport, or have access to opera houses and major professional sporting venues. Their neighborhoods probably won't have wide, perfectly paved streets with landscaped right-of-ways and sidewalks. Their town probably won't have a booming economy. There probably won't be beaches nearby, or 5-star hotels. And you know, these areas where the working class is being priced out - they all have these qualities.
So to wrap it up, it's all about expectations. Life is a struggle for everyone, and even the richest guy still wants more.
So to wrap it up, it's all about expectations. Life is a struggle for everyone, and even the richest guy still wants more.
However, why not be able to buy house in a neighborhood not overrun by crime and violence? I grew up working class and my parents were able to buy a small two bedroom house in a mostly blue-collar suburb when my dad was working a construction job (and my mom did not work). No, it wasn't the prettiest neighborhood in town, but it was a decent place to grow up (until we moved again because we were able to afford a bigger house, three bedrooms, in a slightly nicer neighborhood). Sadly, I would now refuse to live in the neighborhood I was born in because it has become such a rough area. Unfortunately, as it stands, the only places locally I could even consider buying a place are places that are crumbling and where I would probably have to don a bullet proof vest before I left the house.
If I'm not mistaken, the "hottest" job market in SC is the Greenville/Spartanburg area... and it's not necessarily "booming" compared to nearby Raleigh-Durham, Charlotte, Nashville or Atlanta.
There's a trade-off for those whose ability to make a living is not home-based or otherwise easily transferable to just any location.
Yes, Greenville has a fairly hot job market - and it's relatively cheap. Not quite as cheap as Sumter.
While your second statement is true, there seems to be the perception that a place needs to be a boomtown in order to find a job. There is a happy medium between Raleigh-type growth and the desolation of 'the middle of nowhere'. My hometown that I brought up may not have many jobs that pay over, say, $70,000, that doesn't mean that you have to be home-based. There are about 100,000 people in the county, and everyone gets by. The wealthiest people in town don't work for someone else, anyway - most of them borrowed money and started their own businesses. In reference to the original poster, that, to me, is "The American Dream". It isn't dead, but nobody ever said achieving it wouldn't take sacrifices.
Oh sure, I definitely agree. To live anywhere on the planet with a 'high quality of life', you're going to pay a premium. But quality of life is extremely subjective.
the original poster was complaining about the working class - the folks without college degrees. These people can't afford to nitpick about whether they are within an hour of a major airport, or have access to opera houses and major professional sporting venues. Their neighborhoods probably won't have wide, perfectly paved streets with landscaped right-of-ways and sidewalks. Their town probably won't have a booming economy. There probably won't be beaches nearby, or 5-star hotels. And you know, these areas where the working class is being priced out - they all have these qualities.
So to wrap it up, it's all about expectations. Life is a struggle for everyone, and even the richest guy still wants more.
I agree that defining quality is definitely a subjective thing. Depending on the individual, I would guess that it would mean some combination of housing, commuting and schooling that one found reasonable or acceptable.
I interpreted the original post as including all low-to-middle income households in general, regardless of education. If even people in Sumter,SC are being priced out, then that may be the result of the nationally overheated real estate market... and perhaps their jobs being pulled elsewhere.
However, why not be able to buy house in a neighborhood not overrun by crime and violence? I grew up working class and my parents were able to buy a small two bedroom house in a mostly blue-collar suburb when my dad was working a construction job (and my mom did not work). No, it wasn't the prettiest neighborhood in town, but it was a decent place to grow up (until we moved again because we were able to afford a bigger house, three bedrooms, in a slightly nicer neighborhood). Sadly, I would now refuse to live in the neighborhood I was born in because it has become such a rough area. Unfortunately, as it stands, the only places locally I could even consider buying a place are places that are crumbling and where I would probably have to don a bullet proof vest before I left the house.
Unfortunately, crime and violence will continue to be "everywhere" unless we make some substantial changes.
Yes, Greenville has a fairly hot job market - and it's relatively cheap. Not quite as cheap as Sumter.
While your second statement is true, there seems to be the perception that a place needs to be a boomtown in order to find a job. There is a happy medium between Raleigh-type growth and the desolation of 'the middle of nowhere'. My hometown that I brought up may not have many jobs that pay over, say, $70,000, that doesn't mean that you have to be home-based. There are about 100,000 people in the county, and everyone gets by. The wealthiest people in town don't work for someone else, anyway - most of them borrowed money and started their own businesses. In reference to the original poster, that, to me, is "The American Dream". It isn't dead, but nobody ever said achieving it wouldn't take sacrifices.
I'm sure there are lots of places like your hometown where work is steady if not booming. However, not everyone has or can acquire the resources of time, tenacity and finances to own their own business. In the meantime, gainful employment may continue to bypass or shift away to larger metro areas.
Unfortunately, crime and violence will continue to be "everywhere" unless we make some substantial changes.
To a certain extent that is indeed the case, but there is certainly a difference between, say Compton and and Beverly Hills, sure, both have crime and violence, but c'mon now.
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) and work where I live, but I am generally an urban dweller. This subject has been raised and discussed on several occasions in the General US Forum and Need_affordable_Home has numerous posts on the pluses and minuses of higher cost of living cities vs. affordable housing cities.
