Home buying thread

OU Ariakas said:

Did you go to college? What age were you when you started making $55k? Did you have any student loans that had to be paid back?

I only say that because an 18 year old out of high school can go start at Costco or Aldi starting at $18 an hour and, if they just show up and work hard, will be at $20 before a year is over. If they were willing to get their hands dirty they could go start at $20+ changing oil at any automotive shop and be at $55k doing specialty work within 2 years. Hell, they could start any of these jobs part time at SIXTEEN and have a leg up.

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For a very rural example, my first job was $4.25. I happened to go by recently, and they had a help wanted sign up offering $13. I wasn't exactly watching real estate prices back then, but a friend's parents bought a new house around the same time, and it was 33k. Now zillow prices that house at 150k. So around a 3x wage increase versus 5x home price increase (ignoring of course new construction versus 30 years of age, not to mention far fewer jobs in the area now). Also, pre-covid, there were still houses available in the area for 50k or less. Rough maybe, but livable. 10 or 20 more would have gotten a nice starter home. Now, 150 is pretty much the bottom. Prices here didn't really change all that much considering how long it had been, at least until covid.

I know people here will say that owning a home isn't for entry level jobs, but there are a lot of people that will pretty much stay in entry level jobs forever. When I was a kid working those jobs, almost all of the coworkers were adults that had been working those same jobs for years. When I go by those places now, that still seems pretty true. Is it doable? Sure, but it definitely hasn't gotten any easier. God, just imagine grocery shopping today on minimum wage...

TJT said:

While I generally agree I think there's more to it.

I work in tech as a software engineer. I make good money. I hire lots of entry level software engineers now who are starting right where I did over a decade ago. These guys get objectively less money than when I started working. My first SWE job was for $55k in 2013. Today we hire for $65k-$75k generally. We have no shortage of applicants.

That salary does not get you where it got me over a decade ago. The hill they are climbing is simply steeper and sucks more all around. Cold hard reality.

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If you believe the governments numbers $55k in 2013 equates to $74k inflation adjusted in 2024.

I don't know how much pay has gone up but 20 years ago and more in the line of work I do and those companies I support it was very common for a guy to drive to work in a true piece of shit truck. His wife got the nice car. All the shops, refineries, and chemical plants the parking lot looked like a very cheap worn out used car lot. Nowdays if you drive by all the trucks are a couple of years old at most.

The company I have done a lot of contract work for and worked for them on site for a while each year they get a yearly bonus that averages around 20% gross pay for office and shop. You drive by a week or two later you can tell they got paid because half the trucks are brand new. I don't understand it. Odd thing is the people that make the most normally get a company truck to drive home and the shop guys spend a ton on trucks often. My dad got a company truck working for that company, and he worked at home and only drove to work on Fridays to pick up his paycheck and it was 15 minutes away.

I've been reading a lot of the Veteran Disability subreddit, and I saw a post by someone the other day who was 100% disabled and said he was broke and wasn't getting enough to survive. He had a kid and was trying to throw a pity party.

For reference, the 100% rate with 1 dependent (non-spouse) is $49,186 a year, tax free. Don't forget that he also gets free healthcare with that rating.

My wife and I spend less than that a year with healthcare added in, in early retirement.

Gravel come on man... that's not a good look. You know better than anyone your retiree situation where you can choose exactly where you live with no kids and, presumably, no debt is very different.

50k a year isn't much and if he's 100% disabled he doesn't have a lot of options. And he's a veteran. Ugh...

Khane said:

Gravel come on man... that's not a good look. You know better than anyone your retiree situation where you can choose exactly where you live with no kids and, presumably, no debt is very different.

50k a year isn't much and if he's 100% disabled he doesn't have a lot of options. And he's a veteran. Ugh...

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Bullshit $50k isn't much. I'd love to see your monthly budget and how much is pointless fat.

The no debt part is a weird caveat since that's entirely made from life choices. The most likely being living above your means.

Eh, I try not to be THAT cynical, where I believe veterans are all liars and they totally, definitely get taken care of by us and our country after they serve. But that's a touchy one.

I could say similar things from my Ivory Tower too. Where I spend less than 50k/yr even with my private country club membership and predilection for top shelf whiskey. But I also, have no debt, 0.

He might be throwing a pity party. He also might have actually gotten fucked up in the line of duty.

That's just kind of a "why go there" example when there are way better examples of people not understanding life and finance.

As a veteran myself, I can tell you just from the circle of friends that I made throughout my time in service, most veterans that are rated high are not really " that " disabled.

One of my best friends was in a hard landing in a helicopter and messed up his back. However, he was still able to work a job without a problem, but if he worked...he lost his rating. He sat and home and tried to do a lot of side jobs under the radar to keep his 100%, all while earning a side income. I believe it was an ambulance chaser type company that found he was injured during his time in service, and solicited him to let them get a rating for him and he just paid out a percentage of it back.

Some people are truly fucked up and deserve every penny they get and more, but unfortunately thats not the majority of them.

I dont agree with the mentality that he doesnt deserve it. It may just be from where I served - but I think if you're injured while doing anything for the military, I think you DESERVE a stipend for the rest of your life. You shouldnt need to fight tooth and nail for it. How much you're awarded for losing your pinky Toe may pay out a little different than fucking stepping on an IED, but we're splitting hairs at that point. You wouldnt have been injured if you werent in the fucking military and that should be the bottom line. Hell, I think soldiers period should have entitlements and preferred treatment in society as a whole, but trying to get a bunch of people to see everything through the eyes of Romans is a pipe dream.

I love my brother to death. Heart of gold, really. But he got disability for sleep apnea. The genetic thing he got from his dad. It annoys me to no end he collects money for that, while I have neck problems (car accident) and back problems (lifting injury I never reported) while on the job in the military. I get a big fat 0.

Mostly my own fault and youth naivety. We all think we just walk or sleep those type injuries off when we are in our young 20s. And within a couple weeks felt absolutely fine. Then middle age catches up on you and those injuries can be quite problematic. When my back plays up, it can be weeks of limited movement.

But yea, my bro collects $ every month for snoring.

The same housing affordability discussion is happening in Europe so it's not just a US politics/dollar value issue, there are other commonalities. Immigration, not enough new construction due to excessive regulation. I also think lifestyle inflation for society as a whole is a big part of it. Any honest discussion of affordability needs to look not only at prices and income, but also at spending.

So many people waste a thousand or more per month on things that have become normalized but are really luxuries. Having other people prepare (and even deliver) your food for you on a near daily basis is just one visible trend.

Pic related. Food delivery app services up 5x in 5 years. Wasn't just the coof either, that caused it to spike upwards but it has kept on growing ever since. If people were smart with money this industry would not exist because it makes $3 worth of food cost $20. It's staggeringly wasteful and has no place in the life of someone just starting their career and trying to buy their first house.




A lot of people that can't afford a house like their parents did at their age might well be able to if they lived like it was still 1975. When my boomer parents married and bought their first house at age 25 they had both been working for several years already. They owned a single used VW Beetle bought with cash, watched whatever was on network TV, took one vacation per year that consisted of sleeping in a tent somewhere for a week. Went to a restaurant maybe once a month and food delivery was unheard of. No subscriptions beyond a newspaper.

Their first kitchen looked something like this. We didn't get a dishwasher until the mid 80s when my dad was close to 40 and making better money. First car we got that had a/c was in 1993 or so.

Now all these things are nice but they all cost money to own and operate. The baseline of expectations is just so much higher these days and it's easier than ever to nickle and dime yourself to death when you don't even need to get up out of your seat to spend money.

Daidraco said:

I dont agree with the mentality that he doesnt deserve it. It may just be from where I served - but I think if you're injured while doing anything for the military, I think you DESERVE a stipend for the rest of your life. You shouldnt need to fight tooth and nail for it. How much you're awarded for losing your pinky Toe may pay out a little different than fucking stepping on an IED, but we're splitting hairs at that point. You wouldnt have been injured if you werent in the fucking military and that should be the bottom line. Hell, I think soldiers period should have entitlements and preferred treatment in society as a whole, but trying to get a bunch of people to see everything through the eyes of Romans is a pipe dream.

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Last thing I'll say on this derail, but at this point, when we're giving illegals tens of thousands of dollars, and welfare is at its highest amount in history, yeah, I don't give a shit anymore. Hell, we've given pension money to a foreign country in Ukraine.

I've absolutely got issues from the military (a fucked up back and PTSD), and for the last 16 years I've said "that's life." But if everyone else is going to get a handout, and we're going to inflate the dollar with printing trillions for no reason, I'd be a moron not to try to jump on board.

How often do you guys get solicited by phone to sell your property? It's been a thing for a while now but as interest rates have gone up it's gotten much worse. I get at least 1 call a day, usually identified as spam and I can just kill the call but I think these fuckers are getting my info from the various apartment search sites I've had my info on in the past when looking to fill vacancies and it's very irritating and not sure there's anything I can even do about it.

By phone never. I keep my business phone still and nobody but people I've done work with over the years call it. For my personal phone I changed and took the number/sim from my 100 year old grandmother when she died. She never gave out her number and nobody ever calls it. I might get a call every few months from someone that I don't know. I get a lot of crap in the mail. Had an agent stop and talk to me while I was sitting on the porch. She's listing the guy down the road at a way over priced price. House has been empty since 2006, Doctor from New Orleans bought it right after Katrina to have a house and kept it and someone says in it for a few days every few months. I looked at the pics and it is incrediably dated. When he bought it in 2005 it was probably out of date then by 25 years or more. It's like stepping back into my parents house from 1976. Lots of room, 5,400 square feet and $600,000 in MS and you would have to send your kids to the very large private school like a LOT of people do.

I don't answer about 10 calls a day from numbers not already in my phone. Some calls trying to sell me healthcare, home owners insurance, sell my home, free roof inspection, etc. I just never answer anymore cause it's never anything useful.

Gravel said:

But if everyone else is going to get a handout, and we're going to inflate the dollar with printing trillions for no reason, I'd be a moron not to try to jump on board.

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As far as I can see it, none of us is given any choice in whether we pay for the government spending, so I don't see why we should agonize over whether to claim benefits. If you qualify, you should claim it: you already paid for it.