Subj : Re: New to this To : boraxman From : Gamgee Date : Fri Apr 18 2025 10:21 pm -=> boraxman wrote to Gamgee <=- bo> On 18 Apr 2025 at 08:24a, Gamgee pondered and said... Ga> Well, that sucks. But.... I think housing prices have been going up Ga> steadily in every single country, for longer than 20 years. Inflation Ga> is universal. bo> It's not inflation. Inflation everything goes up in tandem. This is bo> specific to housing, and its deliberate. There were government bo> policies put in place DELIBERATELY to inflate the cost. I can't comment on that as I don't know if that's actually true. Ga> Well, I can't speak for conditions in Australia. I think it does cut Ga> it, here in the USA. The actual problem is that MOST young people do Ga> not do well with thinking/planning for their future, because they think Ga> they have all the time in the world. bo> Understandable. When I compare my situation to my parents (Boomer bo> Generation), its quite different. What worked for them won't work for bo> me. You can't really plan for a future that is taken away from you. bo> Imagine starting behind everyone else, and everyone in front of you is bo> given advantages to run faster than you. You'll never catch up. Not sure I understand. What has been taken away? Why are you starting behind others, and how did they get advantages over you? The only solution to such a hypothetical situation is that you'd have to out-work and out-run them. That takes massive effort and commitment.... which are things that I believe are in pretty short supply in today's youth. Many (most?) of them want everything handed to them, and feel that they are entitled to anything they may want. Reality is a harsh mistress. bo> That is young people today. There is no point me telling my children bo> to "scrimp and save" because basically, the only way they'll get a bo> house is to inherit mine. They may as well wait for me to die. They bo> could take managerial roles in a multinational, profitable corporation bo> which is the #1 brand, like me, and still not afford them. I have a little trouble believing that, to be honest. One thing we haven't talked about is education levels... I think in today's world, a college degree is pretty much required for success, which is perhaps different than for previous generations. Even an advanced degree may be needed. I can assure you from personal experience and observations that those degrees make a HUGE difference in earning potential. Ga> Again, I can't really know or speak about how things are in Australia. Ga> I'm not saying it's *EASY* to buy a house here in the USA, but it can be Ga> done, obviously. I own two of them, and so do both of my kids. In each Ga> case the second one is an investment, and will eventually be sold, at Ga> good profit. bo> The thing with using housing as a profitable investment, is that in bo> order for it to work, it has to become more unaffordable, thereby bo> making the problem worse. Australians love property investment, which bo> is why the market is shot. If this strategy worked, more and more bo> people would be able to afford homes. Clearly it doesn't. It works if you own several and eventually sell them. I see your point, but that's what drives the free enterprise system, and the laws of supply/demand, and all that. It can be risky, and scary, and difficult to get started with, but it almost always pays off well. Probably one of the safest investments there is. I think a more positive outlook on things might benefit you a little. :-) .... A good rooster crows in any hen house. === MultiMail/Linux v0.52 --- SBBSecho 3.23-Linux * Origin: Palantir * palantirbbs.ddns.net * Pensacola, FL * (21:2/138) .