Property Pricing in your area - gone up or down?

[BELLA]

Rents are going up in my Area.

Many renters are being driven out. I wonder if some of them are ending up Homeless.

Cost of living rising, wages not going up at the same rate for a certain class.

I wonder if the bottom will drop out at some point.

I imagine poverty is creeping up on us.

If you cannot afford Shelter, that has to be a sad state of the society.

eta: And a lot of Gentrification too.

[LaterBloomer]

In the 1980s, there was an article in the Washington Post about houses that were too crowded in the DC area as the owners rented space to individuals to live in the house. A person who I remember as being of some stature in the community was quoted in the paper as saying that the problem would diminish as the cost of houses increased. Even then I wanted to slap some sense into the person as I figured that owners, either because they couldn't afford a more expensive home or were greedy, would rent MORE spaces in the same houses. Guess what? I WAS right. As the prices have gotten worse, so has the problem of overcrowding.

As to your comments about the bottom dropping out, the candidacies of Trump and Sanders may be indicators that many folks making up the 99% are not happy. While I hope that this unhappiness will lead to a solution, I don't think it will. Like Tolstoy's families, voters are unhappy in their own ways and I don't think that they will be able to coalesce around one candidate or group of candidates so that things are changed for those who aren't part of the 1%.

[dfrecore]

Rents are going up in my Area.

Many renters are being driven out. I wonder if some of them are ending up Homeless.

Cost of living rising, wages not going up at the same rate for a certain class.

I wonder if the bottom will drop out at some point.

I imagine poverty is creeping up on us.

If you cannot afford Shelter, that has to be a sad state of the society.

eta: And a lot of Gentrification too.

I do not think most renters end up homeless. Many move in with other people, or move out of the area entirely to somewhere more affordable. That's the great thing about this country: if you can't afford to live where you're at because your wages aren't keeping up with the COL, you can pick up and move somewhere else. There is nothing stopping you. We did that very thing when we got married; left the area we were, because property prices were high and going higher. We moved somewhere with a lower COL, and then did it again a few years later. Best thing we ever did.

Bottom line: if you can't afford shelter where you're at, go somewhere where you can afford it.

[BELLA]

I do not think most renters end up homeless. Many move in with other people, or move out of the area entirely to somewhere more affordable. That's the great thing about this country: if you can't afford to live where you're at because your wages aren't keeping up with the COL, you can pick up and move somewhere else. There is nothing stopping you. We did that very thing when we got married; left the area we were, because property prices were high and going higher. We moved somewhere with a lower COL, and then did it again a few years later. Best thing we ever did.

Bottom line: if you can't afford shelter where you're at, go somewhere where you can afford it.

Not entirely true.

Where I live, we have CRAZY TRAFFIC, TERRIBLE commute times.

Also the school systems vary greatly.

The county lines have been drawn up strategically.

Even those with homes in the better school system county are telling me about it being very pricey to for newbies to buy.

They next very affordable county, the school system sucks, they even lost accreditation at some point.

Rent rising is becoming a national thing, not just a few States.

If you are young single starting out, no kids. You can go anywhere.

If you have a family, a stable job you have been in a while, kids in a decent school system, maybe ailing parents nearby, crazy commute times and not a transit system, just upping and moving is not that practical.

[videogamesrock]

These are the results of printing 13 trillion + dollars since 2000. The money goes into circulation and eventually drives prices up. Some of my tenants have added roommates to pay for the rent increase. We need to have a balanced budget.

[dfrecore]

Not entirely true.

Where I live, we have CRAZY TRAFFIC, TERRIBLE commute times.

Also the school systems vary greatly.

The county lines have been drawn up strategically.

Even those with homes in the better school system county are telling me about it being very pricey to for newbies to buy.

They next very affordable county, the school system sucks, they even lost accreditation at some point.

Rent rising is becoming a national thing, not just a few States.

If you are young single starting out, no kids. You can go anywhere.

If you have a family, a stable job you have been in a while, kids in a decent school system, maybe ailing parents nearby, crazy commute times and not a transit system, just upping and moving is not that practical.

I think you're wrong there; it may be entirely practical! One of the definitions of practical: "appropriate or suited for actual use."

Now, it may not be what you WANT to do, or what you'd LIKE to do. It may not be convenient. It may even suck. But it may be completely practical.

Once upon a time, people left everything they knew, including their language, and their family, knowing that they might never see them again. And they got on a ship, and took months to sail to America. I'm certain it was not convenient. I'm sure it was heart-wrenching to leave everything and everyone behind. But, they were somewhere where they couldn't get ahead, there wasn't enough food, there was tyranny, whatever - and they left for a better life.

Yes, you may not want to move to the next county over because the school system isn't as good as where you are. BUT, that may be the reason it's more expensive where you live. It's all about trade-offs. Yes, here too, the better school districts have more expensive home prices.

So, maybe you have to move much further away. Or to a smaller house than you'd like. Or have a family member move in and pay rent. Or any number of things. But there are always options, it just depends on what you're willing to give up in order to get what you think is most important.

And, just a reminder, you CAN move your kids to a new place; they adjust. Mine have moved several times, and they are still amongst the living. They even smile once in a while.

[videogamesrock]

It's not going to get any cheaper. It never has before. I agree moving is very possible with or without kids. My parents did and so do many.

[videogamesrock]

Here's a decent article about starter homes being scooped up by investors and renting becoming the new norm.

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/why-s...00195.html