re: Major social unrest is coming

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Most metros loosened up their lot size requirements making it possible to put 3-4 houses on a lot where 1 home was built in the 70s.

Also, a lot of metros are encouraging higher density housing.

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Houston townhome developments have entered the chat.

My entire neighborhood is a former single family lots turned into townhomes.

It has been quite effective at "densifying" the loop and allowing folks to live in the city that otherwise would be in the burbs.

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Houston townhome developments have entered the chat.

My entire neighborhood is a former single family lots turned into townhomes.

It has been quite effective at "densifying" the loop and allowing folks to live in the city that otherwise would be in the burbs.

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Houston is different from just about every other municipality in that they have no zoning districts of any kind - or at least thats what I heard when I worked there a few years ago

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I don’t think higher density is a bad thing necessarily, but I don’t like how it destroys old neighborhood charm.

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I agree; the density is not bad and helps alleviate traffic but with that you lose the old charm of the neighborhoods.

In fact, I rarely if ever see kids running around at all. It's all 30 somethings with dogs. I have gotten used to it but it was weird b/c when I was a kid we were riding bikes and running around all the time. That just does not happen anymore.

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Money money EVERYWHERE! YAAAAA HOOOO!

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Boomer status confirmed

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Bad real estate tax policy


More about this please.

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stepped up basis
(*eta reduced*) income tax on rentals
section 1031 tax free exchange
opportunity zones - permanent exclusions

theres a few and other exist. I will say they are not necessarily 'bad'. although they tend to make/give better opportunities that artificially prop up the housing market (at least for people who already owned homes). if taxes codes are advantageous to those who already own homes, it becomes disadvantageous to those new folks who are seeking to enter an increasingly artificially propped up market.

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I’m with you on china. They are evil but it’s racist if you stop them according to dems.

Interest rates were too low for too long.

No politician of any stripe wants to either raise rates/taxes or lower spending because being fiscally responsible means you are unelectable.

This is the fault of voters IMO. Almost all voters.

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we seem to agree on this as well

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I agree; the density is not bad and helps alleviate traffic but with that you lose the old charm of the neighborhoods.

In fact, I rarely if ever see kids running around at all. It's all 30 somethings with dogs. I have gotten used to it but it was weird b/c when I was a kid we were riding bikes and running around all the time. That just does not happen anymore.

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Going to take it a step farther. We need to enact zoning to allow flexibility between retail on older arteries (with a street grid) and higher density housing.

Places like Veterans Blvd in Metarie or Government Street in Baton Rouge are good examples. With E-commerce, less retail square footage is going to needed. The zoning language for those areas should allow higher density flats or condos to mix in with the retail. They wouldn't replace the single family homes, but they'd supplement them and help provide downward pressure on home prices by increasing housing supply. And it would help the remaining retail spaces by bringing additional residents within walking distance.

Well now that I know you see my posts, how about commenting on that unicorn listing I provided?

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Houston is different from just about every other municipality in that they have no zoning districts of any kind - or at least thats what I heard when I worked there a few years ago

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There is some zoning per se but it is very loose is my understading. For example, across the street from me is zoned "commercial" and it is very difficult to get this designation changed.

This is just my understanding and I could be talking out of my arse.

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no income tax on rentals

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Where is this in the Code? Or are you referring to depreciation?

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And have you experienced corporations buying up all the real estate?

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This is a wild thing I got to see first hand going down to where I grew up south of ATL. Was talking to friend's parents and they said a brand new development of new homes was going up and a company from Canada bought the entire housing development before anyone could buy a new home there. They rent out every single house there. for that area, the rent isn't cheap, I think $2k-$2.5k a month or so. This is pretty south of ATL down in south Henry county. People are upset about it because what could have been nice new homes for people to buy just turned into a fancy apartment complex basically of single family homes.

Not to throw all renters into the same bucket, because I was once one in my 20s for a long time, but in our townhouse neighborhood roughly 1/4 of the units are rented out now with plenty of companies coming in constantly trying to buy up whatever they can to turn around and rent. We have an HOA but no restrictions on rentals, even airbnbs. Pretty much all the issues in the neighborhood are down to the people who are renters. You arent allowed to park on the street in the neighborhood (very narrows streets) except in some very limited dedicated areas yet you'll see 2-3 cars parked outside on the street in front of townhomes all the time - they are renters. There are 2 known airbnb rental townhomes and 2 weekends ago cops had to be called on a Saturday to 1 of them because some college aged kids apparently rented it out and threw a party where almost 100 people showed up and clogged the streets with cars and nobody could get by (and the people who lived by there said the noise was insane).

From what the prop manager said, we have to switch to a POA or something to try and limit the amount of renters/airbnbs going up in the neighborhood.

I will say growing up when I was 10-18 my parents lived in a neighborhood that had an HOA that strictly limited renting out a place to only people with financial hardship which basically never got approved to my knowledge outside of 1 time, didnt have issues in that neighborhood either.