The Home Ownership Thread

[Van Veen]

Lots of things worth paying extra for.

I value being up a hill and therefore not having cross traffic.

I value being on a cul de sac.

I value having underground power instead of overhead lines.

I value being able to live within 45 mins of downtown LA, but hear no traffic, noise, and nothing but the birds in my backyard.

I value having room to plant my trees.

All this means a way higher payment and less disposable money than I otherwise would have, but I spend a lot of time at home. I see no utility in owning property I don't love if I can afford to own something I do enjoy.

I value having lots of projects to keep me busy.

 

[ValidusLA]

I value having lots of projects to keep me busy.

I suck at home improvement, so I throw money at things and then cry about the cost on SF.

 

[sugarbutch]

I value having lots of projects to keep me busy.

This is an admirable level of self-awareness.

 

[Van Veen]

This is an admirable level of self-awareness.

Self-awareness is my best and my worst character trait.

 

[beargonefishing]

Self-awareness is my best and my worst character trait.

I'm the most modest person in the world, perhaps ever.

 

[sugarbutch]

I'm the most modest person in the world, perhaps ever.

And here we have an example of the need to keep ursine poasters off the forvm

 

[Omega Male]

Found the speciesist. SMH.

 

[PhilKenSebben]

Is that supposed to be close?

That is driving time. Given LA traffic patterns, he is probably a 700 yard walk to downtown

 

[ValidusLA]

That is driving time. Given LA traffic patterns, he is probably a 700 yard walk to downtown

Does. not. compute.

 

[otc]

Other countries seem to function just fine without the cult of home ownership.

The "rent is throwing money away" trope needs to die.

Rent is exchanging money for a service. For many people it would be better to buy the milk every week rather than own the cow, but we've created this culture where anyone who can't milk their own cow is a loser and anyone who buys milk at the store is an idiot.

 

[Piobaire]

I wouldn't go quite as far as the airborne primate, but I do think that the financialization of housing in this country is inappropriate for a basic necessity. Social housing isn't right for everyone, but it's right for a much larger share of our population than have access to it, and for much higher income strata than currently qualify. Other countries seem to function just fine without the cult of home ownership.

Ya'll realize the US isn't even in the top ten of home ownership, right?

 

[Bromley]

The "rent is throwing money away" trope needs to die.

Rent is exchanging money for a service. For many people it would be better to buy the milk every week rather than own the cow, but we've created this culture where anyone who can't milk their own cow is a loser and anyone who buys milk at the store is an idiot.

This might be true for many, and renting can certainly be a useful and valuable service. But a lot renters rent because they can't afford home ownership. I doubt there are a lot of milk buyers who dream of dairy farming.

Also, fwiw, I dream of owning the cow.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

hm have you ever lived in public housing ?

Yes. British local authority and military housing (I grew up in the latter in the 1970s), used to be pretty high quality and thoughtful.

You?

 

[FlyingMonkey]

Some British public housing was quite frankly astonishingly good - and none of this was outrageously expensive, it just comes from a time when people saw good housing as a basic human right:

‘They did something very special’: Remembering Camden’s housebuilding ‘golden age’

Camden’s council housing has, as it has aged, come to attain a cult status.

www.hamhigh.co.uk

 

[Piobaire]

One of my sisters lived in Windsor's public housing with her two school aged kids for some time. There was nothing wrong with the units, plenty of room and just fine build quality, but the aggregation of folks seeking said housing led to a rather sad and squalid situation. I think of the things in Canada/US that give public housing such a bad rep is just this. Again, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Howard Roarke contemplate this?