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0 pointschelical1y ago0 comments

Housing isn't that expensive or unaffordable in the US unless you want to live in NYC or SF.

0 comments

Northern CO here, my daughter had big plans of finding someplace to live with 2-4 of her friends after graduating high school, but they all quickly decided that was not at all workable due to housing costs.

mcmcmc1y ago

This just isn’t true

nradov1y ago

[flagged]

dang1y ago

"Don't be snarky."

"Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith."

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

AnthonyMouse1y ago

This is Texas:

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TXSTHPI

It's worse in San Francisco, but it's a nation-wide problem.

eitally1y ago

I would argue that it's worse now in high COL TX metros than it is in the bay area, because even if home values are still lower in Austin, for example, Texas property taxes are brutal compared to CA and have increased dramatically [in line with property value appreciation], which Prop 13 doesn't allow to happen in CA.

1 more reply

olyjohn1y ago

I can tell you haven't ever actually shopped for housing outside of a major city.

lolinder1y ago

Housing cost complaints are dramatically overstated on HN because SF and Seattle are dramatically overrepresented. Housing has definitely become more expensive on average in much of the country over the last few years, but it's not as crazy an issue in most places as it is in the places many HNers live, and there are plenty of places where housing is actually still quite cheap (for example, most of the Midwest).

insane_dreamer1y ago

> housing is actually still quite cheap ... most of the Midwest

not based on the data

change in median housing prices as per Zillow, since 2017

Minneapolis: +50% https://www.zillow.com/home-values/5983/minneapolis-mn/

Omaha: +80% https://www.zillow.com/home-values/40152/omaha-ne/

St Louis: +62% https://www.zillow.com/home-values/6891/saint-louis-mo/

KC: +94% https://www.zillow.com/home-values/18795/kansas-city-mo/

OKC: +68% https://www.zillow.com/home-values/33225/oklahoma-city-ok/

Des Moines: +68% https://www.zillow.com/home-values/17759/des-moines-ia/

Milwaukee: +119% https://www.zillow.com/home-values/5976/milwaukee-wi/

Indianapolis: +103% https://www.zillow.com/home-values/32149/indianapolis-in/

Little Rock: +38% https://www.zillow.com/home-values/52998/little-rock-ar/

etc.

lapcat1y ago

> there are plenty of places where housing is actually still quite cheap (for example, most of the Midwest).

The housing market in Madison, Wisconsin is crazy. I sold my house 8 years ago, and now its estimated value is 70% higher than my selling price. I know a lot of people in the area who are despondent about the prices.

lolinder1y ago

I said most. There are exceptions, of course.

lapcat1y ago

> I said most.

Ok, but what's the empirical justification for this claim? Why is Madison, Wisconsin a rare exception?

1 more reply

insane_dreamer1y ago

when there are enough exceptions, they are no longer exceptions

insane_dreamer1y ago

there are areas where housing is still cheap (rural Iowa, Arkansas, etc.), but they're not areas where there are jobs so it doesn't matter how cheap it is

almost any major city these days housing is much more expensive than it used to be relative to income

MichaelZuo1y ago

It’s also quite bizarre to read these endless complaints, because by definition roughly 1 percent of communities must be in the 99th percentile of communities in terms of unaffordability.

Edit: That can never change either, in aggregate, so it’s literally futile to complain about it in general terms.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

linsomniac1y ago

mcmcmc1y ago

This just isn’t true

nradov1y ago

[flagged]

dang1y ago

"Don't be snarky."

"Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith."

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

AnthonyMouse1y ago

This is Texas:

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/TXSTHPI

It's worse in San Francisco, but it's a nation-wide problem.

eitally1y ago

1 more reply

olyjohn1y ago

I can tell you haven't ever actually shopped for housing outside of a major city.

lolinder1y ago

insane_dreamer1y ago

> housing is actually still quite cheap ... most of the Midwest

not based on the data

change in median housing prices as per Zillow, since 2017

Minneapolis: +50% https://www.zillow.com/home-values/5983/minneapolis-mn/

Omaha: +80% https://www.zillow.com/home-values/40152/omaha-ne/

St Louis: +62% https://www.zillow.com/home-values/6891/saint-louis-mo/

KC: +94% https://www.zillow.com/home-values/18795/kansas-city-mo/

OKC: +68% https://www.zillow.com/home-values/33225/oklahoma-city-ok/

Des Moines: +68% https://www.zillow.com/home-values/17759/des-moines-ia/

Milwaukee: +119% https://www.zillow.com/home-values/5976/milwaukee-wi/

Indianapolis: +103% https://www.zillow.com/home-values/32149/indianapolis-in/

Little Rock: +38% https://www.zillow.com/home-values/52998/little-rock-ar/

etc.

lapcat1y ago

> there are plenty of places where housing is actually still quite cheap (for example, most of the Midwest).

lolinder1y ago

I said most. There are exceptions, of course.

lapcat1y ago

> I said most.

Ok, but what's the empirical justification for this claim? Why is Madison, Wisconsin a rare exception?

1 more reply

insane_dreamer1y ago

when there are enough exceptions, they are no longer exceptions

insane_dreamer1y ago

there are areas where housing is still cheap (rural Iowa, Arkansas, etc.), but they're not areas where there are jobs so it doesn't matter how cheap it is

almost any major city these days housing is much more expensive than it used to be relative to income

MichaelZuo1y ago

It’s also quite bizarre to read these endless complaints, because by definition roughly 1 percent of communities must be in the 99th percentile of communities in terms of unaffordability.

Edit: That can never change either, in aggregate, so it’s literally futile to complain about it in general terms.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse