President Donald Trump said during a Cabinet meeting that he wants to 'drive housing prices up' to keep homeowners 'wealthy' rather than focusing on affordability to benefit people people who 'didn't work very hard'
Go ahead, vote MAGA in the midterms if you’re curious how fucked your life can get.
Here’s the thing that I think a lot of people don’t understand about home ownership: Housing prices going up is only beneficial if you plan to sell.
We were (very) lucky and were able to get in on the tail end of the early 2010s housing crisis and leverage the first-time homebuyer incentives that were offered at the time to buy a modest house. It cost $245k. It’s currently worth $550k, and people seem to think this means we made $300k in profit! Yay us! And technically, on paper, sure, we did, but in reality, no.
Housing prices across the board are up, and we still need a place to live, so if we sold this place, we’d have to buy something else (at the same grossly inflated prices), or we’d have to rent (at grossly inflated prices). If the $550k this place is worth on paper buys us something that would have cost $245k in 2010, we haven’t gained anything.
Either way, we have no intention of selling, so we will never see a cent of that increased value. What we are seeing, however, is increased property taxes since the property has, on paper, doubled in value.
What I’m getting at is, this doesn’t benefit homeowners, it benefits housing investors, who are the group Trump really wants to prop up.
We absolutely want to, and if having money was the only barrier to doing so, we’d sell in an instant, but unfortunately it’s simply not an option for a lot of people
There’s plenty of countries (in Europe or elsewhere) where Americans are still welcome. Here in the Netherlands we have quite a American community and we like having them, as long as they’re not maga crazies.
For me it’s not even a matter of who is accepting of Americans, but who will allow me to move there. I’m an “uneducated” factory schmuck and the vast majority of countries have some professional or monetary requirements I can’t meet :(
Japan lets Americans come, visa on arrival. If you want to stay longer than 90 days, you can start a business, you have a lot of leeway here, and loans are pretty cheap, like 8% for foreigners, <4% if you’ve been here awhile. Huge foreign community can guide you when you get here.
If you’re in your 20s, you can get a working holiday visa and work for any company that will hire you.
You can’t just step out for an hour and reenter like with China, Japan doesn’t like visa-runs.
With China, you can get an L(tourist) visa and make a visa-run every 90 days (60 if you applied outside USA), or M visa if you plan to start a business.
The China visa process kinda sucks, dm me if you need help.
For vietnam, you can go there on a 90 day evisa, and if you’re white, a fake college degree can have you working as a fake English teacher at a fake English school.
As mentioned above, that’s fine for investors actually. They don’t want individuals buying homes. They want people renting them. Across a long enough period, renting will be more profitable so they are happy to buy them up even if your average person can’t afford the mortgage.
Remember, when Al Bundy and Homer Simpson showed up, they were considered ‘middle class.’ Homer had a house and two cars, his wife stayed home. That was normal.
In 1960, minimum wage was $1.00/hour and the average US home was $11,000.00. At that time, $1 million was a vast fortune. Nowadays, $1 million is what a rich guy pays for a party.
A honeycrisp apple costs over two fucking dollars. Five years ago it was fifty cents. Not fifty years ago. Five. Small, but entirely emblematic of the problem.
Neat, and totally irrelevant because we have no idea if our examples are geographically proximate. In the area I’m living in now, at the same grocery store, the price of a honeycrisp apple has more than quadrupled in the last 5 years. Averaged out that’s 60% YoY inflation.
Our home has doubled in value in the last 7 years, but life would be better if it had’ve stayed at the same price.
We’re lucky enough to have somewhere to live but as a community it really sucks that its so hard for so many people - the rental market is just awful, inhumane even.
God forbid we want to buy a bigger home with some more room for the kids - upgrading just cost twice as much.
My parents are boomers and have been beneficiaries of the eternal increase in property values throughout their lives. They’re in their 80s and really need to retire, but can’t really afford to. Increasing property prices aren’t really good for anyone.
This is something that has baffled me for a while when I see or hear people talking happily about their home value going up or talking about their house as an investment and get mad at the thought of a drop in home value. Even if these people never sold their house, if home prices keep increasing faster than wages, then at some point they won’t be able to afford the taxes on their home. I just don’t get it, smh.
Same here. We bought our modest house and have been slowly updating it. But we never plan on moving unless we absolutely have to. So I don’t need or want it to increase in value. The value is it’s my home.
What you do gain is equity. And while that equity can’t be used to pay for a new house, it can be borrowed against cheaply.
A second mortgage, such as a home equity loan or a home equity line of credit, means you can use some of that value in your house for big purchases or projects without the higher interest rates you would pay for other types of loans or a credit card.
It’s one of the reasons home ownership is financially superior to renting, even if your monthly payment might not be that different. Owning property has inherent value.
I have a mortgage payment already, and groceries have tripled in what feels like a year and a half. My property taxes went up $200 a MONTH this year. What makes you think I’m in a position to make more fucking payments?
Here’s the thing that I think a lot of people don’t understand about home ownership: Housing prices going up is only beneficial if you plan to sell.
We were (very) lucky and were able to get in on the tail end of the early 2010s housing crisis and leverage the first-time homebuyer incentives that were offered at the time to buy a modest house. It cost $245k. It’s currently worth $550k, and people seem to think this means we made $300k in profit! Yay us! And technically, on paper, sure, we did, but in reality, no.
Housing prices across the board are up, and we still need a place to live, so if we sold this place, we’d have to buy something else (at the same grossly inflated prices), or we’d have to rent (at grossly inflated prices). If the $550k this place is worth on paper buys us something that would have cost $245k in 2010, we haven’t gained anything.
Either way, we have no intention of selling, so we will never see a cent of that increased value. What we are seeing, however, is increased property taxes since the property has, on paper, doubled in value.
What I’m getting at is, this doesn’t benefit homeowners, it benefits housing investors, who are the group Trump really wants to prop up.
You know who it is good for? Boomers who are selling their big houses to go live in a condo or nursing home. Guess who votes for this shit.
Also good for people who want to flee the US before the bubble pops.
We absolutely want to, and if having money was the only barrier to doing so, we’d sell in an instant, but unfortunately it’s simply not an option for a lot of people
What’s the plan, if not welcome in the new country? Or it’s invaded by the US?
There’s plenty of countries (in Europe or elsewhere) where Americans are still welcome. Here in the Netherlands we have quite a American community and we like having them, as long as they’re not maga crazies.
For me it’s not even a matter of who is accepting of Americans, but who will allow me to move there. I’m an “uneducated” factory schmuck and the vast majority of countries have some professional or monetary requirements I can’t meet :(
Japan lets Americans come, visa on arrival. If you want to stay longer than 90 days, you can start a business, you have a lot of leeway here, and loans are pretty cheap, like 8% for foreigners, <4% if you’ve been here awhile. Huge foreign community can guide you when you get here.
If you’re in your 20s, you can get a working holiday visa and work for any company that will hire you.
You can’t just step out for an hour and reenter like with China, Japan doesn’t like visa-runs.
With China, you can get an L(tourist) visa and make a visa-run every 90 days (60 if you applied outside USA), or M visa if you plan to start a business.
The China visa process kinda sucks, dm me if you need help.
For vietnam, you can go there on a 90 day evisa, and if you’re white, a fake college degree can have you working as a fake English teacher at a fake English school.
Aww but I don’t like dong :(
I appreciate the information!
And if the US decides to invade, what will the person I asked the question do?
Importing the crazy to your country. Americans are just sick they have their fairy tail founding and the we are the god given people complex.
Overly broad generalizations are not helpful. In any case, the Americans likely to leave are not the idiots who voted the fascists into power.
If no one can afford the boomer homes, the houses stay unsold so there’s a balance when trying to maximise profit.
As mentioned above, that’s fine for investors actually. They don’t want individuals buying homes. They want people renting them. Across a long enough period, renting will be more profitable so they are happy to buy them up even if your average person can’t afford the mortgage.
Why is this becoming so acceptable to Americans?
Because the people who don’t accept it don’t have the power to reject it. We are owned by billionaires and our system is corrupt to the fucking core.
Boiling frog.
Remember, when Al Bundy and Homer Simpson showed up, they were considered ‘middle class.’ Homer had a house and two cars, his wife stayed home. That was normal.
In 1960, minimum wage was $1.00/hour and the average US home was $11,000.00. At that time, $1 million was a vast fortune. Nowadays, $1 million is what a rich guy pays for a party.
A honeycrisp apple costs over two fucking dollars. Five years ago it was fifty cents. Not fifty years ago. Five. Small, but entirely emblematic of the problem.
Don’t get me started on luxury inflation.
Look at things like the prices for live sporting events and concerts.
Back when The Beetles were the hottest band in the world, teenagers were buying their own tickets.
Middle class folks used to be able to splurge once in a while and get the best of the best. Now that stuff is beyond the reach of mere mortals
Mmm I don’t know about this one, I worked at grocery stores 15 years ago and fancier single apples were around $1.50.
Neat, and totally irrelevant because we have no idea if our examples are geographically proximate. In the area I’m living in now, at the same grocery store, the price of a honeycrisp apple has more than quadrupled in the last 5 years. Averaged out that’s 60% YoY inflation.
And there is a reason: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8-wqv9_-Ac
And, you know, US Presidents whose families own real estate empires.
Mmm, no.
300 fucking thousand dollars is still 3000 fucking thousand dollars.
You could buy a shitshack and still have a place to live. Hell, you could even get scammed renting like a moron and you still would have made money.
Exactly.
Our home has doubled in value in the last 7 years, but life would be better if it had’ve stayed at the same price.
We’re lucky enough to have somewhere to live but as a community it really sucks that its so hard for so many people - the rental market is just awful, inhumane even.
God forbid we want to buy a bigger home with some more room for the kids - upgrading just cost twice as much.
My parents are boomers and have been beneficiaries of the eternal increase in property values throughout their lives. They’re in their 80s and really need to retire, but can’t really afford to. Increasing property prices aren’t really good for anyone.
Don’t for get the higher insurance rates as well.
This is something that has baffled me for a while when I see or hear people talking happily about their home value going up or talking about their house as an investment and get mad at the thought of a drop in home value. Even if these people never sold their house, if home prices keep increasing faster than wages, then at some point they won’t be able to afford the taxes on their home. I just don’t get it, smh.
Same here. We bought our modest house and have been slowly updating it. But we never plan on moving unless we absolutely have to. So I don’t need or want it to increase in value. The value is it’s my home.
What you do gain is equity. And while that equity can’t be used to pay for a new house, it can be borrowed against cheaply.
A second mortgage, such as a home equity loan or a home equity line of credit, means you can use some of that value in your house for big purchases or projects without the higher interest rates you would pay for other types of loans or a credit card.
It’s one of the reasons home ownership is financially superior to renting, even if your monthly payment might not be that different. Owning property has inherent value.
Absolutely the biggest scam ever.
My parents bought their house for $159,000 in the late 90s.
They are still in that house. Guess how much is left on their mortgage balance? $350,000.
Why? Because of cash out refinances and HELOCs.
They should be retiring soon but they’re not, because people like you said these equity loans are good.
They’re not. These are terrible ideas. Do not EVER take out the equity of your home.
I have a mortgage payment already, and groceries have tripled in what feels like a year and a half. My property taxes went up $200 a MONTH this year. What makes you think I’m in a position to make more fucking payments?
Equity is a fucking scam, brother.