Subj : Re: New to this
To   : Gamgee
From : boraxman
Date : Fri Apr 18 2025 05:02 pm

On 17 Apr 2025 at 08:54p, Gamgee pondered and said...
 
 Ga> -=> boraxman wrote to Gamgee <=-
 Ga> 
 Ga>  Ga>  Ga> Indeed.  If you live where I do, from now until November, those 
 Ga>  Ga>  Ga> followed by YardWorkDay and then OneDayWeekend, and repeat.
 Ga> 
 Ga>  Ga>  Ni> I had a house for about 5 years, which was sold when I got divor
 Ga>  Ga>  Ni> 2020.  I'm currently living in an apartment, and I don't miss ya
 Ga>  Ga>  Ni> & such at all.  I'd like to buy a house again some time if I can
 Ga>  Ga>  Ni> it, but I'd like to find one that requires minimal or no yard wo
 Ga>  Ga>  Ni> But then I still worry about house repairs & such.  The "America
 Ga>  Ga>  Ni> dream", right?
 Ga> 
 Ga>  Ga> Heh, yeah...  It is surely more challenging to be buying a house thes
 Ga>  Ga> days, but that situation seems to swing back and forth some, so perha
 Ga>  Ga> it will get easier again.
 Ga>  Ga>
 Ga>  Ga> The yardwork can indeed be a pain, but I look at it like this - keepi
 Ga>  Ga> the house nice means that when you get old enough and it's time to
 Ga>  Ga> "downsize", it will have enough value (when sold) to be able to buy a
 Ga>  Ga> smaller place, and have quite a bit left over as a bonus.  I'm not re
 Ga>  Ga> to downsize yet, but it will be paid for in under two years now.
 Ga> 
 Ga>  bo> Does it get easier in the US?  In Australia, it just gets harder and
 Ga>  bo> harder and harder, and prices go up with no respite.
 Ga> 
 Ga> Not sure what you mean by "get easier"...  You mean as you get older?  
 Ga> I'd say that depends on your planning and execution of financial goals 
 Ga> and being careful.  Prices go up everywhere, always, I think; but 
 Ga> nothing new about that.  
 Ga> 
In Australia house prices have been pretty much going up steeply, almost continuously for 20 years.  Even on a managers salary, I could not buy the house I grew up in, and neither of my parents finished school.

I think prices in the US fell here and there, but here, it is hopeless.  Our country is screwed.

 Ga>  bo> I'm pretty sure our pollies are deliberately trying to make many of u
 Ga>  bo> homeless.
 Ga> 
 Ga> Could very well be true, and here too.  The only defense is as I said 
 Ga> above, planning carefully and managing finances to be where you need to 
 Ga> be when retirement arrives.  I'm about two years from that, and feel 
 Ga> pretty good about where I'm at.
 Ga> 

That doesn't cut it anymore.  Most people could not buy a house. Period.  The prices are so out of kilter for most, its not worth scrimping and saving because unless they choose not to eat and not to pay tax, housing is not an option.

The ONLY solution is for prices to fall.  No major party here, no party actually, would allow that to happen.  Therefore the problem won't get fixed, and young people may as well just give up and fritter away their money.

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