Where can you afford a home on your income?

[Josh]

Ken,

I hope you can understand how difficult it is for working class people to pay $750/mo for parking or $25 for 2 hours. That has nothing to do with “subsidy”.

At our church we pay for our own parking lot. We have around 100 spaces. It doesn’t cost $75,000 a month to provide that.

[Ken]

Ken,

I hope you can understand how difficult it is for working class people to pay $750/mo for parking or $25 for 2 hours. That has nothing to do with “subsidy”.

At our church we pay for our own parking lot. We have around 100 spaces. It doesn’t cost $75,000 a month to provide that.

It is, in fact, a subsidy when you expect other people to pay for it. That’s the definition of a subsidy.

In big cities real estate is expensive. If you want to devote a big chunk of it to car storage that costs money. And if you aren’t paying then someone else is. I’m not sure why you find the concept difficult. If you don’t want to live in a city then don’t. We do have that freedom. Neither real estate nor transportation are immune from market forces like supply and demand.

If you think parking in a big city is overpriced at $750/month then open up your own parking garage. If you are right then you’ll get rich. Win-win.

[Josh]

Most cities have building codes which include parking minimums, setbacks and so forth which reduce conflict with neighbours and make cities more livable.

Out in the no-regulation paradise I live in you can build with no setbacks and no parking. Yet most businesses choose to build ample parking and don’t charge to park. Hmm. I wonder why.

[Ken]

Most cities have building codes which include parking minimums, setbacks and so forth which reduce conflict with neighbours and make cities more livable.

Out in the no-regulation paradise I live in you can build with no setbacks and no parking. Yet most businesses choose to build ample parking and don’t charge to park. Hmm. I wonder why.

So if people want parking and businesses will build it then what are we worried about? That’s the free market. Let it work. What is the point of all the unnecessary regulation? Businesses and people can decide exactly how much parking they need and build it. We don’t need long-dead bureaucrats from the last century making those decisions for us.

If you live in a no-regulation paradise where businesses and people can make their own decisions, why do you not want the same thing for everyone else?

[Josh]

You’d have to ask the people who live in cities. They seem to prefer to elect representatives who pass all kinds of laws and regulations about setbacks, how wide your driveway must be, how tall your grass may grow and so forth.

And yes, cities have decided developers need to create semi-public resources such as providing enough parking for the amount of vehicles expected to visit a business or residence.

I can’t find around here any laws saying it to be free parking. They could charge for this parking. Yet very few choose to. Most businesses that own parking spots choose to let customers use them for free.

It should be obvious the negative effects that happen when adequate parking isn’t built: questionable pay parking lots sprout up, blighting the streetscape. Businesses start to suffer when people think it will be hard to park in an area. Eventually, merchants’ associations start to work with the city to fix the perception parking is hard or expensive.

The nearest city government to me recently removed all its parking meters, expanded on street parking with diagonal parking instead of parallel parking on a street, and expanded the municipal parking lot (which they also made free). Area businesses are happy because now people will go downtown instead of preferring a more suburban style business outside of downtown that has a sea of obviously free parking.

Incidentally, I just looked it up and that village allows people to develop with no setbacks and mix commercial and residential. Such development must include paying for sidewalks and a parking impact plan - if the expected use is beyond street parking then the developer has to pay to expand municipal parking lots. Interestingly so far nobody has bothered to do this. It’s simply a better deal to develop single family homes or dedicated commercial properties.

[Ken]

You’d have to ask the people who live in cities. They seem to prefer to elect representatives who pass all kinds of laws and regulations about setbacks, how wide your driveway must be, how tall your grass may grow and so forth.

So now you think that the leadership of America’s big cities is effective and doing the right thing? Is that your opinion across the board or only when it comes to housing policy?

Most people who live in big cities would actually like to see their municipal governments do more to bring down the cost of housing. Any public opinion survey will tell you what.

[Josh]

You’d have to ask the people who live in cities. They seem to prefer to elect representatives who pass all kinds of laws and regulations about setbacks, how wide your driveway must be, how tall your grass may grow and so forth.

So now you think that the leadership of America’s big cities is effective and doing the right thing? Is that your opinion across the board or only when it comes to housing policy?

Most people who live in big cities would actually like to see their municipal governments do more to bring down the cost of housing. Any public opinion survey will tell you what.

Most big cities in America are run by leftist liberals who refuse to do anything that works. That’s why they have such issues.

Housing unaffordability is mostly about demand though from flooding the country with migrants who immediately get welfare. The cost of building is simply quite high because building materials and labour are expensive. About $200 per sq ft in cheap areas like I’m in and higher in the cities. It costs $150k to make a 750 sq ft hovel. And yet we’re supposed to be flooded with more and more penniless, low-skilled migrants who will be given housing for free, which the rest of us have to pay for.

That is the reality of preset day supply and demand.

Deport illegals, and demand will go down, and housing will become affordable again.

[Arnold33_09]

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[Josh]

If you're trying to find a home that fits within your budget, you might want to start by looking at areas where the cost of living is lower. Websites like Zillow or Realtor.com offer filters that let you narrow down your search based on price range and location. Additionally, you could consider reaching out to a local real estate agent who specializes in affordable housing options.

I also discovered that a service called The Property Buying Company could be helpful in this context. They work by buying homes directly from sellers, often providing quick offers and closing times. If you’re looking to buy a home within your budget, understanding how these companies operate can be beneficial. For example, if you find a house you like but it's a bit above your price range, The Property Buying Company’s approach could offer you insights into market value and negotiation strategies. They might also assist if you decide to [link removed by moderator] to upgrade or adjust your budget.

I’m getting sick of this LLM spambot promoting its spammy links and low quality AI generated garbage. Can we please ban this thing?

[Only an Anz]

To the title question, "Where can you afford a home on your income?" - spouse and I can afford a modest but decent house where we live (Oklahoma) since we both bring in some income.