Is it my imagine or did prices go up quite a bit? (Midwest)

[jackmichigan]

Originally Posted by Giesela

Yea.......unfortunately I don't want to be in the long haul really. I'd like to be on a 3-5 year plan and be able to move around for adventures sake. Sort of like RV'ing but not. I'd rent but its very hard with cats. Yes before anyone goes out and finds A rental like I have no other requirements, I do, just like anyone I'm not up for renting just any old crap trailer or bad neighborhood. I realize that selling at 5 puts me in a position of losing some money. If it came to what I would have spend on rent - i.e. sort of a break even scenario that would be fine with me. But that just got hard. Like in the past year it got hard. WTH is going on.

The Age of Uncertainty is upon us.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by Giesela

Yea.......unfortunately I don't want to be in the long haul really.
I'd like to be on a 3-5 year plan and be able to move around for adventures sake.
Sort of like RV'ing but not. I'd rent but its very hard with cats.

This theme of middle aged women allowing and even supporting their cats
to inhibit their options and opportunities comes up a lot and in all manner of venues.

[Giesela]

Yes it does and I blame all the irresponsible people out there who don't get their cats fixed immediately. The rate of kill in shelters that are overwhelmed with cats is insane. Huge feral cat populations that come from abandoned cats, cats kicked out and left behind unfixed. People abandon them when they move, get another, do it again. People who are always leaving behind a mess for other people to deal with.
I am a responsible person who loves animals. Knowing I'd be retiring in the next 10 years I made sure I didnt get anymore pets. But then I moved to an area where feral cats were everywhere. It is very hard to be a kind responsible person and not get involved. Nor should people not get involved. I tried to avoid taking in any cats though and still got stuck with 2. Unhappily, but there are so many cats out there there is nowhere for them to go. People who like cats almost always have more than they really want already.

I have zero tolerance for anyone who has a litter anymore. I'd subject them to the death penalty if I could. They, not the cats, are ruining my life. And the millions of cats out there starving and freezing should not be suffering because people refuse to do the right thing.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by Giesela

Yes it does and I blame all the irresponsible people out there who don't get their cats fixed immediately.

Well, I suppose thats one spin that could be put on it.

[RJA29]

Originally Posted by Giesela

I've been perusing Zillow for the last couple of years with the idea of buying after retirement this spring (now). So while I don't have a photographic memory or keeping a spreadsheet or anything I feel like I have a general sense of what the prices have been. And they seem up. Way up.
Not sure I want to mention the bubble word but (especially for Michigan) the prices seem sort of high.

It depends on what part of the market. In my area of the Midwest, there are four market zones.

Zone 1 - neglected, needs to be torn down, only worth the land. This is the floor, but there are a lot of new builds, so these are highly valued for the land. These sell almost immediately.

Zone 2 - land has value, but the house might have been renovated, or still can be. These are worth about 20-30% more than the land alone. These sell almost immediately, at asking or above.

Zone 3 - builds in the last 20 years or major remodels. Worth 50% more than the land alone. These sell within 30-45 days, near asking.

Zone 4 - newly built homes, that were "zone 1" but now sell for 3 to 4 times what the land itself costs. These sit on the market for months, and there are a lot to choose from.

So - unless you're looking for a mansion, it's a very hot market.