Comment on How are Americans supposed to survive the next 30 years?

• Coskii@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I have absolutely no idea how to answer that question in any meaningful way.

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  • lovely_reader@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I was struggling to find the right way to phrase the question, and I failed. I guess what I really wanted to know was: for a typical working class person, is a house at that price within reach? Or if you move there for the cheap houses and get a job, do you end up still barely able to afford the payments?

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    • lonerangers1@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I moved to Detroit from a HCOL city I was established in. I was renting and the options I had to buy were not hopeful. The taxes alone would have kept me working for more money year over year for the foreseeable future.

      I took what would have been a down payment and bought a place outright. I bought a project and it was cheap, only half my down payment fund.

      Now I am all set up. I have no mortgage to pay. My house costs me taxes ($1700/yr) and insurance ($1500/yr) plus utilities ($50 internet, $150 gas&electric, $60 water) That is about $550/month.

      In michigan, taxable value increases are capped at 5%.

      I figure I can work any job and stay ahead of the bills. Yesterday I did a brake job for a friend of a friend for $200 and didn’t even need to leave the house. I can do things like this here and there and get by without even having a job.

      I have never known this amount of stability in housing as an adult before. It is wild. I own this whole damn house and everything in it. I also made a bunch of equity right out the gate by fixing up an abandoned trap house.

      Not trying to lay out a plan for others, just wanted to share how my plan has been a success and that Detroit is a place where home ownership is attainable.

      Oh, couple other things. I have no kids and the schools were not a problem for me. Although the neighborhood kids are all wonderful.

      I am not interested in living in “the country”. I am a city person, I want my resources close. I can walk to a hardware, grocery, and auto parts store from my place. No thanks on 30min drives to dollar general and TSC on the fancy days.

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      • lovely_reader@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        This story is inspiring. I feel like there are a lot of people who wouldn’t feel like it’s within reach (no building/renovating skills or experience, or certain neighborhoods that maybe don’t feel safe to a single woman for instance, and yeah schools as you mentioned if you’re a parent or planning to be)—but for the people who can do that, it sounds like an absolutely phenomenal route to take.

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    • Coskii@lemmy.blahaj.zone ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I had supposed that’s what you were asking, however I am fairly well removed from the job market as I have been for over a few decades now and so the reality of the situation is not near to my grasp well enough for me to know and/or be able to meaningfully give you any indication on how things actually are.

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