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Many senior citizens at that age sell their houses and move into rental's or condo properties because they can no longer maintain a house, yard, etc. Both of my set's of grandparents have done it in the past few years for that reason alone. (in their defense, though, they purchased their condo style homes though, but not all purchase, some rent)
This is one of the hazards of not being a home owner. Grandma and Grandpa should have there own home at this point in there lives. It's there own fault they never wanted to be bothered to own there own place. I don't fault landlords for trying to get the best return on there investment. The landlord isn't running a frigging charity here.
A little harsh, but definitely true. Housing in Williston used to be dirt cheap. If people were unwilling or unable to buy a house in the area when it was, then perhaps they should have left the area for someplace even cheaper.
At some point in their lives they decided that renting was better than owning and now the bill has come due for that decision. This should be a warning to those people who aren't working as much as possible and saving whatever they can.
This is one of the hazards of not being a home owner. Grandma and Grandpa should have there own home at this point in there lives. It's there own fault they never wanted to be bothered to own there own place. I don't fault landlords for trying to get the best return on there investment. The landlord isn't running a frigging charity here.
I think some of the apartments that have become unaffordable for these seniors were built back in the 1980's, and the owners/landlords have had plenty of time to recoup their original investment.
Grandma and Grandpa should have their own home by now? Well, there are any of number of reasons why some elderly, do not want to own a home, most of which have been listed here by other posters. There are also circumstances that can occur in any of our lives that can wipe out the life savings of even the most frugal person in a heart beat. For some here so assume it was just bad planning that got these elderly citizens into their current state is very short sided. It's greed and nothing more.
As for those that suggest that these folks just pick up and move to Florida or any where for that matter need to try and have some empathy for these people. These are the people that stayed in Williston (and other parts of N.D) because they loved it, or because there friends and family are here. These are the people that stayed and paid their taxes, bought from local businesses and held down jobs here when the rest of 80's oil boomers had fled. Now it's okay to just expect them to pick up start a new life somewhere else because of greed? Shameful in my opinion. I am a firm believer in Karma - and we all know what they say about Karma .
This is one of the hazards of not being a home owner. Grandma and Grandpa should have there own home at this point in there lives. It's there own fault they never wanted to be bothered to own there own place. I don't fault landlords for trying to get the best return on there investment. The landlord isn't running a frigging charity here.
That sounds good on paper, but houses need to be maintained, snow needs to be shoveled, and lawns need to be cut, etc. Many elderly people, understandably, probably don't want to bother with it. There's a good argument to be made that it makes sense for older people to live in apartments.
There are also circumstances that can occur in any of our lives that can wipe out the life savings of even the most frugal person in a heart beat.
Perhaps it isn't as big of an issue here in North Dakota (where property values used to be low and thus homes could be purchased inexpensively), but a great many people simply never have the money to buy a home. Have you ever wondered what happens to those adults who don't or can't establish real careers and who end up working low-paying menial retail jobs?
Although this may come as a shock to some people, it turns out that a very large percentage of the jobs in this nation are low-paying poverty-wage jobs and someone has to do them. In fact, some people end up working those jobs even though they may have trained to do bigger and better things. (Ever wonder what those college graduates who couldn't find jobs in their fields because of college graduate mass overproduction end up doing?) Take a look at the want ads sometime and you'll find that a great many jobs pay under $10/hour with a veneer of benefits that provide little coverage or that the employees can't afford.
Even here in North Dakota where we have a low unemployment rate, there are a great many low-wage jobs. There isn't necessarily a correlation between low unemployment and higher general wages because of the possibility of arbitrage--businesses will relocate to where wages are lower. Also, the entire state is not Williston where fast food pays $15/hour (and if you're only earning $15/hour you probably can't afford to live there anyway).
Over the past couple of months, the Occupy Wall Street coverage has really opened my eyes to just how ignorant and out-of-touch some people are. Some morons have responded, "Occupy a desk", as though white collar desk jobs grow on trees and are going unfilled and don't receive hundreds of resumes from qualified applicants. This lack of empathy and failure to apprehend reality is part of what might be called our culture's "I've got mine, F-you," mentality.
I used to have a substantial mortgage and taxes on a big house back in the Chicago suburbs. I was making really good money so I was able to swing the financial obligation.
This is the other problem with buying a house. Houses are not necessarily less expensive in the long run than modest apartments. When you own a house you have to pay all of the utilities--the water bill, the heat bill, the sewer bill, the trash bill, property taxes, insurance, and maintenance costs. That could add up to a couple hundred dollars per month. Home ownership makes sense for a great many people, and it often does provide a return on investment, but I don't think it's the gold mine or nest egg that it's been made it out to be.
Such heartless posts from a few of you. Yes YOU! Total ignorance. You that are blaming the Victims. There seems to be such a sense of entitlement w/ some of these poster's I'll bet as we speak there are some of you who are signing the lease of Grandma's vacated apartment. Bless your hearts!
Such heartless posts from a few of you. Yes YOU! Total ignorance. You that are blaming the Victims. There seems to be such a sense of entitlement w/ some of these poster's I'll bet as we speak there are some of you who are signing the lease of Grandma's vacated apartment. Bless your hearts!
"Victims?" The property owners are entitled to rent apartments to people for whatever amount they choose to. This is ALWAYS a business transaction (a place to stay for money) and if the property owners can get the most money that they can for their properties, then that's their right under a capitalist system. They can't be faulted for that.
Wouldn't the blame lie with Williston and Williams County elected officials for failing to anticipate (or simply not caring) that elderly residents could be hurt by their unwillingness to pursue more aggressive residential construction policies? Or the local voters who haven't approved the bond issues necessary to allow for expanded growth? How about the families of these elderly people for having one or more plans in case their loved ones were displaced due to the booming economy?
Finally, how about the elderly people for not planning their retirements a little better? These are not children; they are adults , who had the rather dubious decision to spend their later years in an area where they could see that times were changing and yet they did little, if anything, about it.
Sorry, but if people were being put out of nursing homes to make way for oil workers, THEN I would believe that people were being victimized. If people are simply being required to move because the place that they were RENTING has decided to increase that rent, then that's unpleasant. but hardly "victimization."
"Victims?" The property owners are entitled to rent apartments to people for whatever amount they choose to. This is ALWAYS a business transaction (a place to stay for money) and if the property owners can get the most money that they can for their properties, then that's their right under a capitalist system. They can't be faulted for that.
Wouldn't the blame lie with Williston and Williams County elected officials for failing to anticipate (or simply not caring) that elderly residents could be hurt by their unwillingness to pursue more aggressive residential construction policies? Or the local voters who haven't approved the bond issues necessary to allow for expanded growth? How about the families of these elderly people for having one or more plans in case their loved ones were displaced due to the booming economy?
Finally, how about the elderly people for not planning their retirements a little better? These are not children; they are adults , who had the rather dubious decision to spend their later years in an area where they could see that times were changing and yet they did little, if anything, about it.
Sorry, but if people were being put out of nursing homes to make way for oil workers, THEN I would believe that people were being victimized. If people are simply being required to move because the place that they were RENTING has decided to increase that rent, then that's unpleasant. but hardly "victimization."
And when business is all that matters in the world, does the world really matter any longer?
We really think we are above the law of the jungle, do we?
Here's a better idea for you folks that are drooling over that 500k job in western ND, but have no place to stay. Just push granny and her wheelchair out into one of those North Dakota winter nights, since she is of no value, business-wise, anyway. The problem would be solved within just a few minutes. Hope you're toasty warm in that apartment.
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