How do middle class citizens afford to buy a house here? (Seattle: apartments, rentals)

[branh0913]

Originally Posted by aaronkc

i dont kno y yall complaining, seattle is one of the cheaper major cities, esp considering the salaries, if u compare to BFE then yea its expensive, go live in BFE then

What is more expensive than Seattle besides a handful of cities? Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, and Miami are much cheaper and are also major cities

[aaronkc]

Originally Posted by branh0913

What is more expensive than Seattle besides a handful of cities? Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, and Miami are much cheaper and are also major cities

south is always cheaper for a reason, if u dont mind living there ur def better off there financially
id never live there tho

[JBVirtuoso]

A good way to start out is by buying a condo or townhouse instead of a detached single family home. I know everyone loves mowing the lawn, but attached homes are available for much lower prices. You can probably afford a nicer neighborhood with an attached home as well. In NYC, this is almost the default option for first-time buyers in the city, and attached homes represent a significant chunk of the available housing stock anyway. Even there, it's possible to find a decent apartment in a decent neighborhood for under $500,000.

There are indeed only a few cities that are more expensive than Seattle: NYC, LA, SF, DC, and Boston. Chicago, Philadelphia, and Miami are probably about the same as Seattle. In my opinion, it's not so much cost of living that matters, but quality of life. Cost of living is factored into that, but it shouldn't be the primary reason for choosing a place to live. Phoenix, Houston, Minneapolis, and Salt Lake City are all cheaper than Seattle, but I would personally hate living in any of those places. Boston and SF are expensive, but I like them enough that I'd be glad to deal with the cost of living there. What ultimately matters is not the amount of money in your bank account or how big your house is, but that you enjoy living where you do.

[aaronkc]

chicago is more expensive, philly is about the same
denver and minneapolis are the only comparable cities that are cheaper, but seattle has milder weather and a better location thus the added cost
down south u get to deal with backwards ass populace/politics and some serious heat/humidity, midwest-u get serious cold and snow as well as summer heat/humidity, the worst of both
seattle is a prime example of u get wat u pay for and actually u get more than wat u pay for, now these other cities mentioned-they are overpriced

[branh0913]

Philadelphia and Miami are definitely cheaper than Seattle

[branh0913]

Originally Posted by aaronkc

chicago is more expensive, philly is about the same
denver and minneapolis are the only comparable cities that are cheaper, but seattle has milder weather and a better location thus the added cost
down south u get to deal with backwards ass populace/politics and some serious heat/humidity, midwest-u get serious cold and snow as well as summer heat/humidity, the worst of both

That's really narrowminded. You sound like you've never been to a major city on the East Coast or the south. And bad politics? Have you seen the politics in Washington state? They're way worsrthan anything I've seen back East.

[aaronkc]

Originally Posted by branh0913

Philadelphia and Miami are definitely cheaper than Seattle

miami has no economy
philly is NOT cheaper, it might only look cheaper on paper, when u break it down, its not

[aaronkc]

Originally Posted by branh0913

That's really narrowminded. You sound like you've never been to a major city on the East Coast or the south. And bad politics? Have you seen the politics in Washington state? They're way worsrthan anything I've seen back East.

what does east coast have to do with it? i live in nyc/nj and been to philly and dc
down south is about 100 yrs behind the rest of the civilized world so if u feel comfortable living there, go head

[Hemlock140]

The best way is to move here with equity from one of the more expensive areas such as San Francisco, and keep the payments low with a big down payment.

People who come here from the south or midwest are always shocked when they see the home prices. The smart ones check here first before accepting a low job offer that may look good to them coming from a cheaper place. Locals have to wait until they have paid off their student loan debt and had a promotion or two to get up to at least the $70,000 salary range or get help from Mom & Dad.

[branh0913]

Originally Posted by aaronkc

miami has no economy
philly is NOT cheaper, it might only look cheaper on paper, when u break it down, its not

Tell me about this breakdown which makes Philly cheaper? You could live like a kind in Philly for 100k a year. Definitely not true for Seattle