In a small way I believe that is happening in our rural county in PA, pop. 40,000. Population has been slightly declining for 40 years, but the number of households is actually increasing slightly. Real estate market is very tight, hard to find a starter home, which seems odd with a shrinking population. I believe that this is due to a number of factors including retirees living longer in their homes, realtors and investors buying up anything reasonable to flip or rent out, more single-parent households due to divorce. One's best bet is to find something dilapidated, pay more than you really should, and then spend more money to make it livable. In ten years, it will typically increase in value enough to cover what you've spent on it.
Housing Costs
Re: Housing Costs
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Re: Housing Costs
Except for the more posh suburbs like La Defense, that is what many of the Paris suburbs look like, except they are normally 6 stories. You know, the place where Algerians and Migrants live.ohio jones wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 7:37 pmYeah, right. Soviet style collective apartment buildings look more like this:Ken wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:52 pmYou mean like this dystopian block of 6-story flats?Judas Maccabeus wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 4:57 pmComrad Ken, would you like to live n a Soviet style collective apartment building? That is what removing regulations could lead.
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Re: Housing Costs
"As of 2022, Baltimore City had roughly 15,000 abandoned properties constituting between 7 and 8 percent of its total housing stock, representing the third highest rate of vacant and abandoned properties in the country." (Federal Reserve bank of Richmond)mike wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 5:05 pmIn a small way I believe that is happening in our rural county in PA, pop. 40,000. Population has been slightly declining for 40 years, but the number of households is actually increasing slightly. Real estate market is very tight, hard to find a starter home, which seems odd with a shrinking population. I believe that this is due to a number of factors including retirees living longer in their homes, realtors and investors buying up anything reasonable to flip or rent out, more single-parent households due to divorce. One's best bet is to find something dilapidated, pay more than you really should, and then spend more money to make it livable. In ten years, it will typically increase in value enough to cover what you've spent on it.
The actual number is far higher, likely about 20,000. Reason, crime which is unbelievable high. We normally get over 300 murders/year. Boston had 41.
Property tax rate is DOUBLE the surrounding counties, and the services given are less. They STILL do not have weekly recycling pickup.
There are blocks and blocks of this;
Typical it is blamed on racism, and "disinvestment." However, they drive away possible investment, because it causes "inequity." There was a dollar homes program. City would sell you an abandoned house, you had 5 years to bring it up to code. You had to promise to live there for 5 years. After that, it was yours, for 1$. Several neighborhoods were brought back to like that way. Current administration refuses to do this, since they want to prevent "gentrification" and the development of inequity. And the city continues to hemorrhage population and tax base.
Of note, they are actually preparing to tear these down. What will be left is an empty field, that they will try and market to a developer. They will not touch the place with a tax abatement. And the cycle continues.
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Re: Housing Costs
Indeed. Saint-Denis is worth visiting for the basilica and abbey, but make a beeline to and from the Metro. It's one of the highest immigrant, and highest crime, suburbs. Not that the Algerians can be escaped anywhere in the city, really; they are in your face with beaded jewelry, selfie sticks, and miniature Eiffels at every point of interest. Paris is one of my least favorite European cities.Judas Maccabeus wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 8:30 pm Except for the more posh suburbs like La Defense, that is what many of the Paris suburbs look like, except they are normally 6 stories. You know, the place where Algerians and Migrants live.
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Re: Housing Costs
Although my Arabic is useful……ohio jones wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 8:58 pmIndeed. Saint-Denis is worth visiting for the basilica and abbey, but make a beeline to and from the Metro. It's one of the highest immigrant, and highest crime, suburbs. Not that the Algerians can be escaped anywhere in the city, really; they are in your face with beaded jewelry, selfie sticks, and miniature Eiffels at every point of interest. Paris is one of my least favorite European cities.Judas Maccabeus wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 8:30 pm Except for the more posh suburbs like La Defense, that is what many of the Paris suburbs look like, except they are normally 6 stories. You know, the place where Algerians and Migrants live.
I avoid CDG like plague.
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Re: Housing Costs
Yes and there are parts of rural Ohio that look like thisJudas Maccabeus wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 8:45 pm"As of 2022, Baltimore City had roughly 15,000 abandoned properties constituting between 7 and 8 percent of its total housing stock, representing the third highest rate of vacant and abandoned properties in the country." (Federal Reserve bank of Richmond)mike wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 5:05 pmIn a small way I believe that is happening in our rural county in PA, pop. 40,000. Population has been slightly declining for 40 years, but the number of households is actually increasing slightly. Real estate market is very tight, hard to find a starter home, which seems odd with a shrinking population. I believe that this is due to a number of factors including retirees living longer in their homes, realtors and investors buying up anything reasonable to flip or rent out, more single-parent households due to divorce. One's best bet is to find something dilapidated, pay more than you really should, and then spend more money to make it livable. In ten years, it will typically increase in value enough to cover what you've spent on it.
The actual number is far higher, likely about 20,000. Reason, crime which is unbelievable high. We normally get over 300 murders/year. Boston had 41.
Property tax rate is DOUBLE the surrounding counties, and the services given are less. They STILL do not have weekly recycling pickup.
There are blocks and blocks of this;
Typical it is blamed on racism, and "disinvestment." However, they drive away possible investment, because it causes "inequity." There was a dollar homes program. City would sell you an abandoned house, you had 5 years to bring it up to code. You had to promise to live there for 5 years. After that, it was yours, for 1$. Several neighborhoods were brought back to like that way. Current administration refuses to do this, since they want to prevent "gentrification" and the development of inequity. And the city continues to hemorrhage population and tax base.
Of note, they are actually preparing to tear these down. What will be left is an empty field, that they will try and market to a developer. They will not touch the place with a tax abatement. And the cycle continues.
None of it is relevant to the fact that there are housing shortages in many parts of the country.
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Re: Housing Costs
Another variable in this real estate issue is the fact that younger families cannot afford the down payment much less the higher rates. Developers are building but their target market is unable to afford the price of homes.mike wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 5:05 pm
In a small way I believe that is happening in our rural county in PA, pop. 40,000. Population has been slightly declining for 40 years, but the number of households is actually increasing slightly. Real estate market is very tight, hard to find a starter home, which seems odd with a shrinking population. I believe that this is due to a number of factors including retirees living longer in their homes, realtors and investors buying up anything reasonable to flip or rent out, more single-parent households due to divorce. One's best bet is to find something dilapidated, pay more than you really should, and then spend more money to make it livable. In ten years, it will typically increase in value enough to cover what you've spent on it.
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Re: Housing Costs
But the cities are where the jobs are, but almost no one wants to live in the dystopia that has been created here. The 500 pound gorilla in the room is transportation policy. There was an effective and useful "streetcar" system here some 50 years ago. Was torn up, and replaced by highways. Most of the suburbs were connected to the downtown, and each other. BTW these were electric, and did not belch fumes.Ken wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 10:13 pmYes and there are parts of rural Ohio that look like thisJudas Maccabeus wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 8:45 pm"As of 2022, Baltimore City had roughly 15,000 abandoned properties constituting between 7 and 8 percent of its total housing stock, representing the third highest rate of vacant and abandoned properties in the country." (Federal Reserve bank of Richmond)mike wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 5:05 pm
In a small way I believe that is happening in our rural county in PA, pop. 40,000. Population has been slightly declining for 40 years, but the number of households is actually increasing slightly. Real estate market is very tight, hard to find a starter home, which seems odd with a shrinking population. I believe that this is due to a number of factors including retirees living longer in their homes, realtors and investors buying up anything reasonable to flip or rent out, more single-parent households due to divorce. One's best bet is to find something dilapidated, pay more than you really should, and then spend more money to make it livable. In ten years, it will typically increase in value enough to cover what you've spent on it.
The actual number is far higher, likely about 20,000. Reason, crime which is unbelievable high. We normally get over 300 murders/year. Boston had 41.
Property tax rate is DOUBLE the surrounding counties, and the services given are less. They STILL do not have weekly recycling pickup.
There are blocks and blocks of this;
Typical it is blamed on racism, and "disinvestment." However, they drive away possible investment, because it causes "inequity." There was a dollar homes program. City would sell you an abandoned house, you had 5 years to bring it up to code. You had to promise to live there for 5 years. After that, it was yours, for 1$. Several neighborhoods were brought back to like that way. Current administration refuses to do this, since they want to prevent "gentrification" and the development of inequity. And the city continues to hemorrhage population and tax base.
Of note, they are actually preparing to tear these down. What will be left is an empty field, that they will try and market to a developer. They will not touch the place with a tax abatement. And the cycle continues.
None of it is relevant to the fact that there are housing shortages in many parts of the country.
Dare we mention the interurbans? All gone, replaced by highways.
The big difference between Europe and the US is not housing policy, it is transportation policy. The nice urban settings you provided would be impossible with our transportation system.
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Re: Housing Costs
It's more than just having metros. For example, this is the normal way for how kids get to school these days in suburban America. Do you see a sidewalk or bike anywhere in the picture? Or even a safe way for a single child to navigate themselves to school without a car? And we wonder why they are glued to their phones. What else do they have to do?Judas Maccabeus wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 10:49 pm
The big difference between Europe and the US is not housing policy, it is transportation policy. The nice urban settings you provided would be impossible with our transportation system.
By contrast, here are how kids get to school in Finland in zero degree weather. No fancy metro here. Just the infrastructure to use means other than cars, and the culture to support it. Which group of kids is more likely to suffer from obesity and phone addiction and which is more likely to be healthy?
And the school parking lot in mid winter. These are not poor people. Their per capita wealth is comparable to Americans. They have just made other choices with how they structure their lives and the expectations they have vis-a-vis their children.
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Re: Housing Costs
Same exact street in Cincinnati before and after the "improvement" brought by freewaysJudas Maccabeus wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 10:49 pm But the cities are where the jobs are, but almost no one wants to live in the dystopia that has been created here. The 500 pound gorilla in the room is transportation policy. There was an effective and useful "streetcar" system here some 50 years ago. Was torn up, and replaced by highways. Most of the suburbs were connected to the downtown, and each other. BTW these were electric, and did not belch fumes.
Dare we mention the interurbans? All gone, replaced by highways.
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A fool can throw out more questions than a wise man can answer. -RZehr