in case it is not obvious, the housing market, and real estate in general is the front line of a very real class war. it is very effectively bifurcating the population, as this article describes. i find this really upsetting and immoral, but im sure other people will interpret the same thing differently.
Zoom towns and the new housing market for the two Americas
11–20 of 187 posts
Re: Zoom towns and the new housing market for the two Americas
#12Right now, being a landlord in SF is looking pretty grim given that tech workers who used to rent are fleeing in droves and those that are not are negotiating their rents. I wonder whether this trend will reverse in the next 1-3 years or this is the new permanent dynamic of the SF rental market.
Wild that landlords having to deal with their investments losing value and having to negotiate a commercial transaction is "grim" The market dynamics shifted. No big deal.
Yeah, no shit. You were careless with your capital and lost some or all of it? My heart bleeds.
Re: Zoom towns and the new housing market for the two Americas
#13You’re also living in a prime wildfire area in Truckee. There’s too much fuel in the Sierras as it is, it’ll burn sooner or later.
The picture of a house they show nestled in the trees is incredibly dangerous, incredibly resource intrnsive, and just ecologically unsound. We need to be building massive amounts of housing in city centers to let as many people live in them that would like to. Instead we lock down any new construction in cities, which requires the least amount of infrastructure and environmental damage, and instead let pretty much a…
We really need to better price the negative externalities that come with these different choices into the market. Massive price increases for fossil fuels are an obvious step.
Re: Zoom towns and the new housing market for the two Americas
#14I think a lot of people living in cities think there's only two options - living in an apartment downtown in a megacity, and living in a car-bound wasteland suburb.
But there's a third option - towns.
I know you have them in the US! I've been to a few of them. Walkable towns with coffee shops, restaurants, bars, culture, dating. You can even find a few in the Bay Area if you don't want to look too far.
Isn't the small town an icon of American living? Why are people so incredibly snobby about it?
Re: Zoom towns and the new housing market for the two Americas
#15Right now, being a landlord in SF is looking pretty grim given that tech workers who used to rent are fleeing in droves and those that are not are negotiating their rents. I wonder whether this trend will reverse in the next 1-3 years or this is the new permanent dynamic of the SF rental market.
> I wonder whether this trend will reverse in the next 1-3 years or this is the new permanent dynamic of the SF rental market.
IMO, that's completely dependent on how much SF tech companies embrace remote work.
Re: Zoom towns and the new housing market for the two Americas
#16"Many Americans — especially 30-somethings who remain employed — are ditching their tiny rental apartments in hip districts of expensive cities and moving to buy houses in more affordable cities or the burbs for a life of shopping at Home Depot and spending their Friday nights eating mozzarella sticks at Applebee's." oof, that's a savage take for NPR.
I went to an Applebee's for the first time in 10 years recently and I... liked it. I swore it off as an uppity 20-something.
That said, I've been living in a fairly urban 'burb with a nice downtown for almost 10 years. It's nice to actually have space to park a couple of cars and hang in your backyard amid some level of quiet.
My personal experience is that when you're younger, city life has its charms. When you find yourself full-on adulting with kids, the burbs (and Applebee's) actually sound pretty nice.
Re: Zoom towns and the new housing market for the two Americas
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
The picture of a house they show nestled in the trees is incredibly dangerous, incredibly resource intrnsive, and just ecologically unsound. We need to be building massive amounts of housing in city centers to let as many people live in them that would like to. Instead we lock down any new construction in cities, which requires the least amount of infrastructure and environmental damage, and instead let pretty much a…
We really need to better price the negative externalities that come with these different choices into the market. Massive price increases for fossil fuels are an obvious step.
I agree, but if we have no alternatives to current development styles, then taxes can not correct the bad practices. We literally outlaw the alternatives to building in the WUI.
Re: Zoom towns and the new housing market for the two Americas
#18"Many Americans — especially 30-somethings who remain employed — are ditching their tiny rental apartments in hip districts of expensive cities and moving to buy houses in more affordable cities or the burbs for a life of shopping at Home Depot and spending their Friday nights eating mozzarella sticks at Applebee's." oof, that's a savage take for NPR.
Who cares about NPR elitism. Why shame people for doing what they want. Hell, the Buffalo Wild Wings in Daly City has a more diverse crowd than any bar or restaurant in SF.
Honestly, BWW had the best tap lineup in my area for a long time, which has no shortage of trendy bars.
Re: Zoom towns and the new housing market for the two Americas
#19"Many Americans — especially 30-somethings who remain employed — are ditching their tiny rental apartments in hip districts of expensive cities and moving to buy houses in more affordable cities or the burbs for a life of shopping at Home Depot and spending their Friday nights eating mozzarella sticks at Applebee's." oof, that's a savage take for NPR.
...for a life of shopping at Home Depot and spending their Friday nights eating mozzarella sticks at Applebee's, with their families.
I added that bit.
Funny, they always seem to forget about family, even when talking about 30-somethings from hip rental apartments.
Re: Zoom towns and the new housing market for the two Americas
#20"Many Americans — especially 30-somethings who remain employed — are ditching their tiny rental apartments in hip districts of expensive cities and moving to buy houses in more affordable cities or the burbs for a life of shopping at Home Depot and spending their Friday nights eating mozzarella sticks at Applebee's." oof, that's a savage take for NPR.
Who cares about NPR elitism. Why shame people for doing what they want. Hell, the Buffalo Wild Wings in Daly City has a more diverse crowd than any bar or restaurant in SF.
I live(d?) in SF and would on occasion rent a car just to drive to Buffalo Wild Wings :)