The 30% income rule is making it hard to rent an apartment. (Tampa: student loans, broker)

[LKJ1988]

They have not gone up in west pasco. My hood is 90% section 8 renters and these 2bedroom dumps rent for around 550 to 750 a month from Holiday to Hudson. It's just a never ending round of mid nite movers and drug dealers that move in and then just leave in the middle of the nite tearing up the homes and then another moves in. Moron that owns the house behind me let 3 diff scum bags move in and none paid their rent and trashed the house. No wonder i never got into renting my homes i flipped back in 2001 thru 2007. These land lords don't care who they let in and Pasco county code does nothing and lets these run down hoods get worse and worse.

[logybogy]

Here's the thing. If you know you don't have the skills, education, interest, ambition, whatever to compete for high paying jobs, you really need to focus on cost of living. There are places in Florida that are very cheap to live in. They aren't in the big metro areas or near the water. They are in the inland more rural counties. If this isn't for you, maybe moving to Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Louisiana, someplace with rock bottom cost of living is what you need to do.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by logybogy

Here's the thing. If you know you don't have the skills, education, interest, ambition, whatever to compete for high paying jobs, you really need to focus on cost of living. There are places in Florida that are very cheap to live in. They aren't in the big metro areas or near the water. They are in the inland more rural counties. If this isn't for you, maybe moving to Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, Louisiana, someplace with rock bottom cost of living is what you need to do.

The problem with that is how does a low wage earner have enough money to do that? Most apartment managers don't return your deposit the same day you move out so that means you have to have money for first month rent and another deposit, a u-haul, and money to support yourself until you get another job

It's so easy to dismiss these kinds of issues by saying "then just move" but moving is often impossible. I don't live in Florida but we have a similar problem in Sacramento, rent has skyrocketed in the past 4 or 5 years, apartments that rented for $600 a month in 2014 now are $1000-$1200 and landlords require that the tenant prove that they earn 3X that much.

Of course single people can go rent a room but what about renters with families? At least around here we are seeing more and more people living in their cars or RV's.

[logybogy]

I understand the problem is nationwide and certainly much of California has it exponentially worse than Tampa.

The main issue is what is the impediment to not earning a higher wage? What Is the problem? Is it something curable like education and training or something harder like a personality traits like laziness, addiction or a criminal record?

Right now there is a desperate need for truck drivers nationwide. This guy could go to get his CDL and make $50k a year with benefits and basically live anywhere nationwide. Hard work, not glamorous but it's a way out.

[WinterK]

Originally Posted by MortonR

And so many that mimic the same properties being built in downtown Tampa. These aren't suburban apartments, these are high end properties that are gated and have private clubhouses with all sorts of amenities. You can't compare or suggest that hourly workers would even be considering trying to lease a place like this.

Apples and oranges.

Here are a number of properties in the Brandon area that are quite affordable and without all the froo-froo garbage like "pickle ball courts" in the places you listed:

https://www.rent.com/florida/brandon...BoC-R4QAvD_BwE

None of them are anything spectacular, but they're certainly livable and far less expensive.

Champagne tastes with a beer budget...

RM

These are not high end properties. They are cheap, poorly constructed, inappropriate for the neighborhoods they are in. I think they are very ugly. And it's going to increase our population IF they find people to rent these horrors. Some construction companies are going to get even richer and then will leave the mess to us. Their high end names make me laugh. Like Charleston on 66th. 66th Street in central Pinellas is not exactly a luxury area.

[WinterK]

Originally Posted by LKJ1988

They have not gone up in west pasco. My hood is 90% section 8 renters and these 2bedroom dumps rent for around 550 to 750 a month from Holiday to Hudson. It's just a never ending round of mid nite movers and drug dealers that move in and then just leave in the middle of the nite tearing up the homes and then another moves in. Moron that owns the house behind me let 3 diff scum bags move in and none paid their rent and trashed the house. No wonder i never got into renting my homes i flipped back in 2001 thru 2007. These land lords don't care who they let in and Pasco county code does nothing and lets these run down hoods get worse and worse.

This is why they now feature Pasco County on Live PD. Someone broke into a Pasco County snowbirds home on the last episode. Apparently somebody gave them a fake lease to sign because the people had bills in their name and the lease so the police had to let them stay there for now. The snowbird owners were told they would have to pursue an eviction. Then host Tom Morris Jr. had to explain what a Snowbird was to the national audience in case they didn't know. I was laughing my ass off.

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by logybogy

I understand the problem is nationwide and certainly much of California has it exponentially worse than Tampa.

The main issue is what is the impediment to not earning a higher wage? What Is the problem? Is it something curable like education and training or something harder like a personality traits like laziness, addiction or a criminal record?

Right now there is a desperate need for truck drivers nationwide. This guy could go to get his CDL and make $50k a year with benefits and basically live anywhere nationwide. Hard work, not glamorous but it's a way out.

I don't want to go off topic, but truck driving is rarely a good paying job anymore, in many cases it's turned out to be a scam https://www.usatoday.com/pages/inter...-with-nothing/

[logybogy]

You can make $80,000 a year driving truck. It's not a scam. There are plenty of downsides especially regarding lifestyle but it's one of the easiest ways for someone without a college degree to make decent money.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtm...-an-80000-job/

Would you recommend this job? “I do. I tell friends who are working minimum-wage or factory jobs to go get their CDL [Commercial Driver's License, which takes a few weeks]. It's the easiest money you can get without a college degree, but it's a hard industry. You're going to be alone a lot.”

[KPB]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

I don't want to go off topic, but truck driving is rarely a good paying job anymore, in many cases it's turned out to be a scam https://www.usatoday.com/pages/inter...-with-nothing/

I'd have to disagree with that. There are some decent paying companies out there.

I know a few drivers for Publix that have it made and will easily be millionaires at retirement.

FedEx is also a good paying company for truck driver's.
There's several decent trucking companies in Central FL.

(I would beware of the "lease to own" programs some companies offer there drivers).

[2sleepy]

Originally Posted by KPB

I'd have to disagree with that. There are some decent paying companies out there.
I know a few drivers for Publix that have it made and will easily be millionaires at retirement. FedEx is also a good paying company for truck driver's. There's several decent trucking companies in Central FL.
(I would beware of the "lease to own" programs some companies offer there drivers).

I'm not sure you read that article, it explains why there are so many unfilled jobs. FedEx and UPS are both decent paying jobs but they are able to quickly fill those positions. If it were a great job people would be lining up to apply and they aren't.