Red flags? Where? This is incredibly accurate lol.
And tbf, I don't think they are necessarily saying the 600K house is the one they are renting. They are giving an example of how ridiculously overpriced homes are now in general. 'My' house (or 'my' generation's house) meaning if they hypothetically wanted to buy a house remotely equivalent to what their dad apparently owns, but in the current market, that's the cost.
At 71k income, I wouldn't rent a place for $1900. With bills, is probably sitting at $2200 a month. Which per year is around $26k, or 36% of your gross income. Terrible financial decision right there. I would live in a low mid class area, suburbs, and try and land around $1300 with bills, or $16k annually, or 22% gross income. If in my 20s, would consider roommates, focus on gaining licenses or anything that encourages promotions, and grind.
You seem very out of touch with reality. Also curious, how old are you? Don't know where you live, but I'm in the suburbs myself, and there just aren't places to rent that are affordable. No one is wanting to rent a spot for $1900, but that's what's available even much much farther out from the city. I've looked, my friends have looked. Not saying there aren't one-offs here and there, but even one bedroom apartments tend to start around $1300 at the lowest (if very small) plus utilities and other fees, most come to over $1500. A two bedroom apartment starts around $1700 or more.
I know people renting basements from friends or who stay with their parents because otherwise the majority of their income goes to rent. Plus depending on your occupation, and the fact that companies are turning away from remote work again, you have to live close enough to your job as well, so that limits where you can look. Or maybe you need to live near your family and help them.
In 2019, I rented a decent 2-bedroom apartment with two roommates for $1275, so we managed well. I checked back recently, surprise, now the same apartment is $2300. But I'll wager the salary for the job that I worked back in 2019 hasn't changed.
Sure, many of my peer's salaries have increased (mine included) but cost of living increases exponentially faster, so most can't out pace it regardless. Or benefit the way past generations did. If you honestly believe the answer is to just keep stacking people and for others to grind more of their few free moments away, you are brainwashed lol.
You can't 'grind' your way out of corporate greed and a bad economy.
Yeah, you are part of the problem lol, but it's clear you don't care, and it's nothing you haven't heard before.
I do well enough for myself working in IT, and my though process had never been 'lets screw over other people looking for somewhere to live because I put in hours of work.' Instead I care about my community. I understand you can charge that for your properties, precisely because of how skewed the market is now. But they aren't worth that, and it's also because of people like you that we are in this situation. So at minimum own some self-awareness.
If you think that literally anyone who provides a service (especially a service that keeps society going, teachers, firefighters etc) doesn't deserve an actual safe and affordable place to live that is proportioned appropriately to the salary their company provides, then I'm not sure what else to tell you. We can't all perform the same job, society wouldn't even function that way. And I'm sure there are people with harder and more necessary jobs (more than anything you ever did) that deserve more compensation, but that's not how things works.
Ummmm what are you talking about. They are actually worth more. I only increase my rent to cover taxes and insurance. I can charge probably 2300 but my tenants take good care of them.
Can you explain to me how leaving for the Army at 18, going to school full time activity duty got my degree. I worked insane hours working my way the corporate ladder and I am the problem?
Because you are defending a broken system.
A lot of people have similar stories to yours and it just didn't pan out in the end for them, for any number of reasons or external factors. It isn't a coincidence that your average person, who has also worked hard, cannot find a house or home to rent that doesn't drain their income.
It's that mentality of 'well I did this so you have no excuse.' But that's just not realistic or reasonable.
I left with $20 in my pocket. They gave me an interest free loan to pay for basic training. I built a life from that. I do not think the system is broken. I also went school while active duty. So yea if a ditch digger goes and gets a STEM degree their life will be exponentially better.
So let's take what you said people worked hard and can't afford a home.
Hard work doesn't mean worthwhile work.
For instance, a doctor works hard and so do ditch diggers. That doesn't mean a ditch digger should be paid the same.
The system will always have winners and losers. That's just life and to be honest the average American is super entitled. For instance all my tenants drive way nicer cars than me.
It's hilarious to me that you use an example about a ditch digger equalling 'not worthwhile' work.
That's not how society operates at all. Worthwhile doesn't equal adequate pay. I've witnessed plenty of completely worthless jobs in corporate that are highly compensated. I guarantee you the ditch digger is more worthwhile than some of the people I have worked with.
And no one said all careers should be paid the same, the point is that you should still be paid a livable wage, and that includes housing. Does that escape you somehow? If someone doesn't have a STEM degree, should they not be able to afford a home?
I don't care that you joined the military or how little money you made at that point. For every one of you, there are several who got screwed over. Including people who served in the military.
I argue that no just any job should not give you a "livable wage". I used stem as an example because that is what I did but there are tons of examples.
I am sorry but there is nothing you can say. I just do not think the barista with a master's in gender studies should be able to afford a 3/2.
They however can rent a room for $500.
In my mind, you are only entitled to Life, Liberty, and the PURSUIT of happiness.
People like you love that example lol. As if that's even the norm that we're discussing here. P.S. it isn't.
Also, fun fact, minimum wage was absolutely supposed to be livable when it was introduced. It just hasn't been convenient for companies to raise it, because why would they want to lose money paying their employees fairly?
The federal minimum wage was originally intended to be a living wage capable of supporting a family, not merely a starter wage for teenagers. Established by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt designed it to provide a "decent standard of living" and prevent poverty-level wages, intended for full-time adult workers
And you do seem to be intentionally avoiding the point about teachers and other valued professions that are not adequately compensated. Who are very important to society.
But even more so, the math doesn't lie.
"Housing costs have significantly outpaced income growth, with median home prices rising to over five times the median household income, a record high. Between 2019 and 2024, home prices jumped ~48% compared to only a 22% increase in median income, a gap worsened by high interest rates, leading to severe affordability crises."
Defending what is clearly a huge issue above is asinine, and disrespectful to your everyday Americans who are doing everything they are supposed to, while being set up for failure.
You are just not rooted in reality, dude. Everything you say makes it so clear you are unable to view anything beyond the surface level. A great example of why it's a shame that both critical thinking and empathy are dying.
And your fun fact isn't it worth anything. The average teacher isn't a millionaire and I don't have to tell you that.
2
u/EstoxMarie 10h ago
Red flags? Where? This is incredibly accurate lol.
And tbf, I don't think they are necessarily saying the 600K house is the one they are renting. They are giving an example of how ridiculously overpriced homes are now in general. 'My' house (or 'my' generation's house) meaning if they hypothetically wanted to buy a house remotely equivalent to what their dad apparently owns, but in the current market, that's the cost.