The carpetbagger’s guide to home ownership • Hacker News Board

Re: The carpetbagger’s guide to home ownership

#231

Post by snedfree » Fri, Dec 31, 2021, 3:27 PM UTC

colechristensen wrote: post #203

gruez wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>a technocratic solution that meets the needs of the burgeoning disenfranchised population is required because the degree of inequality that we're dealing with is creating severe social conflicts I'm sure that the non-elected technocrats wouldn't be susceptible to the "represented by millionaires" problem that you bemoaned about earlier.

Exactly. Technocrats are just oligarchs branding themselves as smarter than everybody else.

i'd be much happier to have healthcare policy be shaped by family practice doctors than by parliamentarians and bill gates

Re: The carpetbagger’s guide to home ownership

#232

Post by chaostheory » Mon, Jan 03, 2022, 5:21 PM UTC

bluGill wrote: post #169

chaostheory wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True, but they still don’t have as much influence on local government as much as more affluent residents. The prime example would be Palo Alto. It’s the NIMBY capital of the world. Even Stanford University has trouble with development on land that they own.

That is mostly their fault for not voting (renters are less likely go vote and thus don't matter). Also their fault for not realizing property tax that the landlord pays comes from rent or lack of maintenance (complex because supply and demand sets rent prices, so tax is a second order effect)

The last time that was possible at least in Palo Alto was before they split from what is now known as East Palo Alto. Even if all the renters voted, they only represent 33% of Palo Alto's population; so no it is NOT their fault.

Re: The carpetbagger’s guide to home ownership

#233

Post by camgunz » Fri, Jan 07, 2022, 6:23 PM UTC

aww_dang wrote: post #223

camgunz wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not everyone can or wants to be persistent enough to do this kind of thing. In isolation these stories are interesting. As policy, these stories argue against changes to housing and zoning in the US, which are obviously needed. Like, "live in and remodel a shed and wait to capitalize on a historically bad housing market wipeout" isn't useful advice, much less a housing policy.

Agreed. I'm not advocating for a housing policy in this observation. Waiting for housing policy to fit with your ideal of a just world isn't reasonable advice for everyone. There are things which for practical intents and purposes, are beyond our control. If you are looking for change, it is better to focus on the things within immediate control.

Super agree, but I will say I have a hard time ignoring the feeling that more and more things that used to be in my control are now beyond it.

Re: The carpetbagger’s guide to home ownership

#234

Post by aww_dang » Sun, Jan 09, 2022, 5:01 PM UTC

camgunz wrote: post #233

aww_dang wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. I'm not advocating for a housing policy in this observation. Waiting for housing policy to fit with your ideal of a just world isn't reasonable advice for everyone. There are things which for practical intents and purposes, are beyond our control. If you are looking for change, it is better to focus on the things within immediate control.

Super agree, but I will say I have a hard time ignoring the feeling that more and more things that used to be in my control are now beyond it.

Isn't that one of the problems with the pessimistic lament at the top of this thread?

Conditions are rarely if ever static for extended periods of time. The entrepreneur must adapt to the opportunities presented. The popular idiom is, "Where one door closes, another opens".

The observation about 2008 housing prices was telling. A market can stay depressed for extended periods of time. Pessimists could have experienced that same market and missed the opportunity. When evaluating in hindsight the uncertainty of imperfect information inside the moment can be overlooked.

Not only are opportunities constantly changing, but each individual brings unique knowledge to any given situation. Therefore the opportunities in a given situation are differ from one individual to the next. From this point it is easy to see to the value of adaptation and innovation. The man in the article didn't just accept the world as it is, he thought out of the box and created solutions where others saw problems.

I agree that things have changed and that doors have been closed. Some of them may never open again in our lifetimes. Yet at the same time I feel optimistic. There are incredible opportunities all across the Internet. Many here have the technical skills to realize them, but they lack the entrepreneurial vision.

Re: The carpetbagger’s guide to home ownership

#235

Post by camgunz » Mon, Jan 10, 2022, 8:52 PM UTC

aww_dang wrote: post #234

camgunz wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Super agree, but I will say I have a hard time ignoring the feeling that more and more things that used to be in my control are now beyond it.

Isn't that one of the problems with the pessimistic lament at the top of this thread? Conditions are rarely if ever static for extended periods of time. The entrepreneur must adapt to the opportunities presented. The popular idiom is, "Where one door closes, another opens". The observation about 2008 housing prices was telling. A market can stay depressed for extended periods of time. Pessimists could have experience…

I mean, we can keep restating our positions here:

aww_dang: there's always an opportunity somewhere

camgunz: that may be true, but it can also be true there are fewer opportunities, which I find worrying

aww_dang: but what does that matter if there's always one

camgunz: I think the total number of opportunities matters

aww_dang: I don't