#housing market crisis

[somerandomg33k]

Everyone deserves a home. The Democrats will probably say something like that, because it sounds good. But the most they will offer is like a tax credit. They won't touch the housing market at all. Just simply give people houses. Especially there are six times as many people less homes as there are unhoused folks.

[animentality]

[alwaysbewoke]

[queenbeaver69]

THIS NEEDS TO CHANGE OTHERWISE MY SON RICHARD IS FUUUUUUUUUCKED

[that-punk-adam]

This is not at all a new take on life here in the US of A however I feel as though I will peel my skin off if I don’t say it;

People are seeing death as a valid option to the current state of the world + the future and now I am fully understanding why.

There is no more ‘village’. There are no reliable social safety nets installed that are realistic or easy to access. You H A V E to drive EVERYWHERE if you’re even able to drive. If your area has a bus it has to fight on the road with every other driver. To get 9 miles away from point A to B takes 2 hour out of your day. No one is hiring or they are paying minimum wages for you to run their whole circus operation damn near by yourself. Average 1 bedroom apartments are $1.1k a month for 500 sqf and if you SOMEHOW get a roommate and get them to agree to split rent and utilities then y’all are going to battle for personal space. A 2 bed is out of the question bc there is no way in hell that you can save anything if you are spending more then half of your wages on rent. You want to go out and have a sense of what it means to be fulfilled as a human? Don’t even dream about it, you have your bills coming up.

Get a second or 3rd job? Wait… you were able to find one? They didn’t ghost? Lucky you; now you are better off & you can now sleep knowing that the 2nd job will be able to pay for the gas ($3+/gal), insurance (3X what it used to be but still making you open up ur wallet before they step in), and your car note! (Wayyy too much for a used).

What is fun? What are get togethers? What is a ‘cheap meal’? What’s a bucket list? What’s a vacation? What’s a hobby? Wait, you can afford to replace items and not get anxiety over it? You can afford more then an arm full of groceries?? Will you be able to retire by the time you’re 60 with enough money in the bank to not just exist, but to do the things you’ve always wanted to do during those working decades? What will elder and death care look like? Will your children be able to not live in poverty?

We as young people are seeing death as a valid option because we know we will NEVER see an adult life like those before us prior to the 90’s. Starting a family or adding on to your family will put you in poverty. Buying a house if you’re fortunate enough will put you in poverty. Renting will put you in poverty. Working more jobs will put you in poverty. Having a car will put you into poverty, not having one will keep you from ever getting one. We will just work and work to never ever have anything to show for it. This is not the lifestyle that I’d doom more life to do for the rest of their lives. Something’s gotta change sooner rather then later and it’s gotta be grass roots. We have to be willing to break some rules to get to where we need to be.

Things. Must. Change.

[frogeyedape]

I am so unbelievably pissed off. FUCK HOAs

Oh, my trash/recycling bin can't be visible except on pickup day? Ok whatever fine I hate you but I can deal with this

Weekly inspections?????? FU FU FU FU FU

SECOND NOTICE ALSO WE'RE CHARGING YOU MONEY TO SEND YOU CERTIFIED MAIL OF THIS TOTALLY LEGIT TOTALLY SECOND NOTICE OF WHAT IS ACTUALLY A VIOLATION cue me: checks notes. Hmm. My recycling bin was. on the curb. on recycling pickup day. You know. The day it has to be out. The day it is motherfucking ALLOWED TO BE FUCKING OUT AND VISIBLE.

so. 1) not a violation

I have sent them the trash AND recycling pickup schedules, which are DIFFERENT, btw

I have disputed the fact of the violation

I have disputed the linking of this "violation" to a previous violation MONTHS AGO--their "first notice" in this case was a "Courtesy Notice" LITERALLY 5 MONTHS AGO and they've done so many inspections since then and my bin CLEARLY WASN'T OUT IN THOSE INTERVENING MONTHS so WTMFH

So I am posting like a crazy person here instead of sending the absolutely deranged email I almost sent (I did send a slightly less deranged version with the disputes, and requesting a hearing)

OMG. It has been. Less than one hour since I learned this fun fun news. My bin was out YESTERDAY, y'all. YESTERDAY. I am going to blow a gasket

[hyperlexichypatia]

I’ve been seeing a few viral posts like “You don’t have to move out of your parents’ house when you turn 18; multi-generational homes are good.” And I agree – multi-generational homes ARE good, and cultural stigma on living with one’s parents as an adult IS wrong! Personally, I’ve lived with my parents for most of my adult life, first by financial necessity, and later by choice. If you’re fortunate enough to have a good relationship with your parents, spending time with them can be great.  BUT.  While you don’t necessarily need to move out of your parents’ home when you’re 18, you DO need to start thinking of yourself as an adult and making your own choices, and your parents will need to respect that. If you and your parents can seamlessly make the transition to viewing you as an adult housemate rather than a child under their care, that’s great. Sometimes, though, even the most respectful parents will have a tendency to Meddle, and even the most self-assured young people will have a tendency to Revert to old roles and habits. If this is a problem, you may in fact need to get some physical distance to reinforce the psychological distance. And even more importantly, every young adult deserves the living wage and affordable housing to live on their own, whether or not they ever choose to use it. I’ve been shouting into the wind for years that the “young adults are still children” narrative is an excuse to normalize the low wages and high costs of living faced by Millennials and Gen Z, and “Multi-generational homes are good” seems hardly better in this respect. At best, it’s tonally mismatched to the cultural and economic moment. At worst, it’s normalizing the conditions of abusive control of young people. Somewhere in between, it’s propaganda reframing being unable to afford housing as a wholesome family lifestyle. In fact, I think the demographic this demographic is nominally targeted to – 18 year olds who are freely choosing between two options, having both the financial resources to live on their own, and supportive parents who would willingly share a safe and respectful multi-generational home – are a relatively small segment of the population.  “Multi-generational homes are good” does nothing for the 18 year old living with their controlling parents because they can’t afford to move out, let alone the 18 year old moving in with an abusive partner because it’s the only way xe can escape xyr even more abusive parents, or the 18 year old living on the streets because her parents kicked her out and she’s ineligible for any benefits because she’s assumed to be supported by her parents (who have no legal obligation towards her). And as always, young people most likely to be controlled, abused, rejected, or involuntarily “helped” (which is also abuse) by parents and family – queer young people, disabled young people, young people who’ve made different reproductive or philosophical or religious or life-path choices than their family approves of – are most harmed by having no economic options to live on their own. So can we get universal housing, universal living wages, and universal healthcare and student aid for young people which doesn’t require the involvement of their families FIRST, and THEN, once everyone has the option of living on their own, remind them that multi-generational homes are also good as one option among many?

[brainpukeblog]

[benjaminallhope-fulltimemind]

Here's a reminder that just moving won't fix or aid the housing crisis America suffers from, as this article points out people live at and move to places for a myriad of reasons. The only way to save ourselves is through radical wealth redistribution and redevelopment to ensure everyone can live and work wherever they want.

(kinda a short post, pretty tired and I'm gonna sleep soon.)

[mbrainspaz]

It kills me that when I mention my Houston area rent is $1000 a month the reaction is always "Wow! What a great deal!"

Then I'm like "but there's no ventilation, it's a shed in a maga bro's back yard next to his pig pen and his mother in law is always chain-smoking in the driveway, the plumbing is a mess, the well water reeks of sulfur, and the walls are infested with carpenter ants and mold."

—and they go "Still. $1000." "Yeah, I do have a small fenced yard and a covered parking spot."

Bruhhh why do we live like this. And I know it could be worse—I toured another place listed at $1100 that had clearly caught on fire, been soaked in piss, and was infested with rats.

It kills me I can't even buy another RV and save that way because the nearest RV parks all charge about a grand a month too.

[thoughtportal]

Solutions to the current housing market problems.

[bitchesgetriches]

Aunties, can you tell us about REITs and the messed up housing market? I feel like something has to give or change with companies buying up all the homes, and I'd like to diversify my investments but do REITs just make it worse?

HOOOOOO BOY do we have THOUGHTS.

First off, here's our explainer on the housing market (and we worked really hard on it so we hope you like it):

The Rent Is Too Damn High: The Affordable Housing Crisis, Explained 

Now, on to REITs (real estate investment trust). These bad boys are sort of like the ETFs or index funds of real estate investing. It's a way for people without a ton of capital to invest in real estate when they can't afford to, say, buy a whole-ass building. You are correct that they are 1) a good way to diversify your personal investments, and 2) contributing to the housing market fuckery.

BUT...

I think you can still invest in REITs ethically. You just need to choose industrial REITs, rather than residential.

For example, you can invest in REITs that represent warehouses, cell phone towers, industrial space, and office buildings (though we don't recommend that last one just now because... well, have you BEEN downtown recently?). Personally, I invest in Prologis, which is an industrial REIT that I'm comfortably certain isn't contributing to the housing crisis.

As with all investments, we recommend you research thoroughly before diving in! It's super hard to invest ethically under capitalism, but if you care, you can get pretty close to at least reducing harm. Here's more on ethical investing:

Season 4, Episode 1: “Index Funds Include Unethical Companies. Can I Still Invest in Them, or Does That Make Me a Monster?” 

Did we just help you out? Tip us!

[radicalrascal]

Housing is a Right 🐌

Sticker now available in shop ❤️

[alwaysbewoke]

[makenna-made-this]

They are not mine (yet); I have to investigate this decaying place they seem to live at.

[autumngracy]

How the US Is Destroying Young People’s Future | Scott Galloway | TED