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Posted on 9/23/26 at 3:12 pm to Mingo Was His NameO
quote:
Most people don’t want to live around trash
And Louisiana still isn't the highest taxed state.
Btw, I live on the northshore. Seems like a lot of people want to live here.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 3:16 pm to AUVet21
quote:
we do have 2 young kids
What school districts are you looking at? The ones in and around Birmingham can vary wildly, which can of course be said for anywhere really.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 3:17 pm to TopWaterTiger
quote:
I don't know...I think inflation has won this battle. Today's salaries don't keep up.
House all time highs
trucks and suvs at all time highs
Groceries at all time highs
Fuel at the top end of their highs
Interest rate is mid.
Since 1980 wages have outpaced inflation, based on the CPI, by about 5%.....so most of these things are about the same price, based on inflation and wages, as they were in 1980....actually slightly more affordable. The one on this list that is the outlier, and the foundation....is HOUSING. It is 600% more than it as and about 100% of what inflation would dictate based on that 5% gain in wages. It is not alone - Health Care is about the same, daycare is about half again higher and education is about 600% higher. In other words 4 basic needs of young people are substantially higher than wages have paced the CPI. Groceries, gas and cars mean are worthless if you don't have a roof over your head, are bankrupted by a mortgage sized debt tied to your education that made you employable and you need to see dentist. This is why young people feel squeezed,...because they are. It ain't egg prices and gas, high as they are they are about what they were in 1908 compared to wages, but a place to wash your arse and sleep at night? WAAAAAAAYYYYYY more expensive.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 3:18 pm to AUVet21
quote:
d how in the heck they can afford to scrape by if they have kids.
All I know is unless you were born into wealth this has been a challenge for every generation. Kids are expensive if you love them. No one thinks they can afford it but if they want kids they make it work. You'll start off struggling and it will motivate you to aim higher. You'll sacrifice and buy what you need and can afford before what you want. You kids will grown up loved and having all of what they need and some of what they want. There will be fat times and lean times by when you 60 and you've raised children who have left the home and started their own families you'll look around and realize what a good job you did and quite frankly be amazed that you managed.
And the best thing is, by that time your kids will understand then as well and appreciate all you did even more. God knows what you need before you even ask. Seek first his will and all that will be given to you.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 3:20 pm to dgnx6
quote:
122 homes listed in my zip code for under $300k.
Most of you guys are just full of shite.
Most of those homes are probably in dire need of some major mechanical and structural renovations that will cost a fortune if one can't do them themselves and even if you can if the county won't allow it you are fricked. One can buy a house for $1 in Augusta Georgia from time to time. Those houses ain't what the Masters look like.....
Posted on 9/23/26 at 3:21 pm to AUVet21
90% of the folks complaining have no budget and no idea how to manage finances.......... cost of living always goes up slightly, but so does salary, equity in homes ect.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 3:23 pm to AUVet21
The fact is that government spending has a direct correlation to inflation. We need to cut our going half !
The amount of theft in this country by unscrupulous entities from the taxpayers is mind boggling. One trillion debt seemed unbelievable in the 1990s and now our debt is at 40 trillion dollars If you counted every dollar as one second we spent over a MILLION years in seconds.
The amount of theft in this country by unscrupulous entities from the taxpayers is mind boggling. One trillion debt seemed unbelievable in the 1990s and now our debt is at 40 trillion dollars If you counted every dollar as one second we spent over a MILLION years in seconds.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 3:25 pm to soccerfüt
quote:
Something something Avacado toast and Starbucks something something something….
Paging the joebrown poster. No Starbucks and put 5K in an index fund and money no longer becomes an issue.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 3:28 pm to Byron Bojangles III
quote:
"no one wants a starter home anymore!"
starter home is 400k
In my area any affordable home ends up getting bought by somebody with 5 or 6 other homes for cash 1 or 2 days after it is listed.
I'd do it too if I had the money. Just saying people looking for starter homes usually don't have a chance unless they can pay cash or above asking price.
This post was edited on 9/23/26 at 3:30 pm
Posted on 9/23/26 at 3:30 pm to TopWaterTiger
quote:
House all time highs
trucks and suvs at all time highs
Groceries at all time highs
Fuel at the top end of their highs
Interest rate is mid.
So much winning.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 3:30 pm to upgrayedd
I do believe wage stagnation is a real problem, but we can thank the global economy for that. Companies have consolidated and gotten larger, these corporations outsource more work overseas than you think. Even in the early 2000s, this wasn't even considered, but now it is widespread, and not only are these workers willing to work slave hours, they are willing to do it for less pay. This has had a big effect on the country that people don't talk about enough.
This point gets talked about a lot here, but most women work professional jobs now, we transitioned into a dual income household world. However, the equilibrium is skewed. High earning women still seek out high earning men. This has exacerbated the wealth gap tremendously. 2 middle class earners will live a great life together, but 1 middle class earner who grew up and went to school with the others, and maybe even got better grades, but he married a part time teacher and they can barely make ends meet. These are the people struggling immensely.
My last point, on the other hand, everybody wants to own a home, but nobody wants to the do the required maintenance that comes along with owning a home. So they hire the dwindling population of trade workers to do it. Trade workers charge more money now, supply and demand. Part time teacher Karen thinks she is better off than plumber Jim, but then she receives the bill and thinks she's getting ripped off. How do people afford this, she wonders.
There are a lot of things working against the average American employee now, things that didn't exist when their parents were growing up. There is also more pressure to be wealthy and keep up with the Joneses. I think colleges and universities have failed us. They sold out for profit, and left our young people unprepared for the new economy. Going to school and getting a job at a big company is no longer a guaranteed path to success. I'd like to see more young people being prepared to go into business on their own. Technical degrees need to be pushed way more than liberal arts degrees. Trade schools need to be more respected.
This point gets talked about a lot here, but most women work professional jobs now, we transitioned into a dual income household world. However, the equilibrium is skewed. High earning women still seek out high earning men. This has exacerbated the wealth gap tremendously. 2 middle class earners will live a great life together, but 1 middle class earner who grew up and went to school with the others, and maybe even got better grades, but he married a part time teacher and they can barely make ends meet. These are the people struggling immensely.
My last point, on the other hand, everybody wants to own a home, but nobody wants to the do the required maintenance that comes along with owning a home. So they hire the dwindling population of trade workers to do it. Trade workers charge more money now, supply and demand. Part time teacher Karen thinks she is better off than plumber Jim, but then she receives the bill and thinks she's getting ripped off. How do people afford this, she wonders.
There are a lot of things working against the average American employee now, things that didn't exist when their parents were growing up. There is also more pressure to be wealthy and keep up with the Joneses. I think colleges and universities have failed us. They sold out for profit, and left our young people unprepared for the new economy. Going to school and getting a job at a big company is no longer a guaranteed path to success. I'd like to see more young people being prepared to go into business on their own. Technical degrees need to be pushed way more than liberal arts degrees. Trade schools need to be more respected.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 3:33 pm to Loup
quote:
In my area any affordable home ends up getting bought by somebody with 5 or 6 other homes for cash 1 or 2 days after it is listed.
Exactly and I know it’s frustrating as hell for anyone in their 20s trying to get their foot in the door with their first home.
“This one’s listed for $400k, maybe we have a chance!”
Nope, some 65 year old boomer with a portfolio of 5-6 homes bought it for $500k cash tough luck
Posted on 9/23/26 at 3:38 pm to LemmyLives
quote:
$24,000.
For a $800k house? Where is this? NY/CA?
Posted on 9/23/26 at 3:41 pm to AUVet21
quote:
Something has to give. Wife and I got lucky coming out of school during the COVID craze with inflation rates low and got a nice house with a great rate. We have both changed jobs since then and started looking at moving across town in Birmingham to be closer to work daycare etc. we make over 100k more than we did in 2021 and yet when I look at mortgage rates now and approximate payment we honestly would struggle to buy the exact same house we have right now much less anything nicer. I know it’s a first world problem and we do have 2 young kids that everything is expensive for but we are both pretty frugal in general and take maybe 1 beach vacation a year.
There are a lot of people in your boat. We bought our house in 2017 and intentionally spent less because we planned on buying a larger house once we started having kids. We refinanced like everyone else did in 2021 when interest rates were low but after home values exploded (ours has doubled in value). My wife was also pregnant with our first kid, and we now have 2. I have nearly doubled my income and my Wife makes probably 25% more than she did since 2021. The only vacations we go on are with our families who are footing most of the bill (we pay to get there, they pay for the lodging and most everything else). We have one small car note and our other car is almost 20 years old and has been paid off for like 7 years now.
Yet, we've had the same conversation. We have a lot of equity in our home; however, if we rolled every cent of equity we have and bought our same exact home at its current FMV, we would spend more per month on our mortgage than we already do. Buying the size home we need just isn't in the budget in this economy so we put a little money into a renovation in our current home, and we're going to just deal with it until something gives.
I have no idea how first time home buyers with middle class salaries can afford a home right now.
This post was edited on 9/23/26 at 3:42 pm
Posted on 9/23/26 at 3:44 pm to Tigersforthee
quote:
Interest rates are much closer to historic lows than to historic highs
This argument has to come with the caveat that home prices are more than 2x higher when adjusted for inflation, property taxes are higher when adjusted for inflation, and insurance costs, well, let's not talk about insurance because that would make me mad.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 3:47 pm to AUVet21
Build houses now like they did in 1970 (1000 sq feet, wood paneling, formica counter tops, stick on tile flooring) and house prices wouldn't be ridiculous.
Quit bitchin about your 24 carat gold plated toilets, reinforced redwood floors, lambskin carpets and heated floors costing too much.
Obviously I'm being sarcastic but not really, housing costs could be less if people would settle for shelter rather than luxury.
Quit bitchin about your 24 carat gold plated toilets, reinforced redwood floors, lambskin carpets and heated floors costing too much.
Obviously I'm being sarcastic but not really, housing costs could be less if people would settle for shelter rather than luxury.
Posted on 9/23/26 at 3:51 pm to WM88
quote:
Obviously I'm being sarcastic but not really, housing costs could be less if people would settle for shelter rather than luxury.
houses were constructed A LOT better in 1970 than they are today and no they were not a bunch of 1000 square foot shelters. A lot of homes today also have formica counter-tops, fake wood floors, and cheap everything.
This post was edited on 9/23/26 at 3:52 pm
Posted on 9/23/26 at 3:52 pm to randybobandy
quote:
cost of living always goes up slightly
Have you been in a coma the past 10 years? Cost of living has not gone up “slightly,” it has shot up. Look at food prices pre-COVID vs now. Salaries have gone up, but not even close to inflation/COL
Posted on 9/23/26 at 3:58 pm to dgnx6
quote:
122 homes listed in my zip code for under $300k.
There are two properties in my zip code under $300k...they are 1 bed, 1 bath 700 square foot condos.
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